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PHANTASIES: 

A  FAERIE  ROMANCE. 


Phantasies  from  "  their  fount "  all  shapes  deriving, 
In  new  habiliments  can  quickly  di^ht. 

Fletcher's  Purple  Island. 


PHANTASTES: 


A  FAERIE  ROMAIC  CE  FOR  MEN  AND  WOMEN. 


GEORGE    MAC    DONALD, 

AUTHOR  OF  "  KOBBKT  FALCONKK,"  "  DAVID  ELGINBUOD,"  ETC. 


"  In  goorl  sooth,  my  masters,  this  is  no  door.    Yet  is  it  a  little  window,  that 
)oketh  upon  a  great  world." 


L  O  R  I  N  Gh  ,     Publisher, 

319    Washington    Street, 
35    School    Street, 
BOSTON. 


.  y/  M^ 


Es  lassen  sich  Erzahlungen  ohne  Zusammenhang,  jedoch  mit  Asso- 
ciation, wie  Traume,  denken ;  Gedichte,  die  bloss  wohlklingend  und 
vol!  schoner  Worte  sind,  aber  auch  ohne  alien  Sinn  und  Zusammen- 
hang, hochstens  einzelne  Strophen  verstiindlich,  wie  Bruchstiicke  aus 
den  verschiedenartigsten  Dingen.  Diese  wahre  Poesie  kann  hochstens 
einen  allegorischen  Sinn  im  Grossen,  und  eine  indirecte  AVirkung, 
•wie  Musik  haben.  Darum  istdie  Natur  so  rein  poetisch,  wie  die  Stube 
eines  Zauberers,  eines  Physikers,  eine  Kinderstube,  eine  Polter-und 
Vorrathskammer.      .     .     . 

Ein  Mahrchen  ist  wie  ein  Traumbild  ohne  Zusammenhang.  Ein 
Ensemble  wunderbarer  Dinge  und  Begebenheiten,  z.  B.  eine  Musi- 
kalische  Phantasie,  die  harmonischen  Eolgen  einer  Aeolsharfe,  die 
Natur  selbst. 

In  einem  echten  Mahrchen  muss  alles  wunderbar,  geheimnissToll 
und  zusammenhiingend  sein;  alles  belebt,  jeder  auf  eine  andere  Art. 
Die  ganze  Natur  muss  wundelich  mit  der  ganzen  Geisterwelt  gemischt 
sein;  bier  tritt  die  Zeit  der  Anarchic,  der  Gesetzlosigkeit,  Freiheit, 
der  Naturstand  der  Natur,  die  Zeit  vor  der  "Welt  ein.  .  .  .  Die 
Welt  des  Mahrehens  ist  die,  der  "Welt  der  "Wahrheit  durchaus  entge- 
gengesetzte,  und  eben  darum  ihr  so  durchaus  ahnlich,  wie  das  Chaos 
der  voUendeten  Schopfung  ahnlich  ist. —  Novalis. 


4S>6? 


PHANTASTES. 


I. 

ft 
A  spirit  .  ft 

The  undulating  woods,  and  silent  well, 

And  rippling  rivulet,  and  evening  gloom. 

Now  deepening  the  dark  shades,  for  speech  assuming. 

Held  commune  with  him ;  as  if  he  and  it 

Were  all  that  was. 

Shelley's  Alasior. 

I  AWOKE  one  morning  with  the  usual  perplexity  of  mind 
which  accompanies  the  return  of  consciousness.  As  I  laj 
and  looked  through  the  eastern  window  of  my  room,  a  faint 
streak  of  peach-color,  dividing  a  cloud  that  just  rose  above 
the  low  swell  of  the  horizon,  announced  the  approach  of  the 
sun.  As  my  thoughts,  which  a  deep  and  apparently 
dreamless  sleep  had  dissolved,  began  again  to  assume  crys- 
talline forms,  the  strange  events  of  the  foregoing  night  pre- 
sented themselves  anew  to  my  wondering  consciousness. 
The  day  before  had  been  my  one-and-twentieth  birthday. 


b  PHANTASTES : 

Among  other  ceremonies  investing  me  -witli  my  legal  rights, 
the  keys  of  an  old  secretary,  in  which  my  father  had  kept 
his  private  papers,  had  been  delivered  up  to  me.  As  soon 
as  I  was  left  alone,  I  ordered  lights  in  the  chamber  where 
the  secretary  stood,  —  the  first  lights  that  had  been  there  for 
many  a  year ;  for,  since  my  father's  death,  the  room  had 
been  left  undisturbed.  But,  as  if  the  darkness  had  been 
too  long  an  inmate  to  be  easily  expelled,  and  had  dyed  with 
blackness  the  walls  to  which,  bat-like,  it  had  clung,  these 
tapers  served  but  ill  to  light  up  the  gloomy  hangings,  and 
seemed  to  throw  yet  darker  shadows  into  the  hollows  of  the 
deep-wrought  cornice.  All  the  further  portions  of  the 
room  lay  shrouded  in  a  mystery  whose  deepest  folds  were 
gathered  around  the  dark  oak  cabinet  which  I  now  ap- 
proached with  a  strange  mingling  of  reverence  and  curi- 
osity. Perhaps,  like  a  geologist,  I  was  about  to  turn  up  to 
the  light  some  of  the  buried  strata  of  the  human  world, 
with  its  fossil  remains  charred  by  passion  and  petrified  by 
tears.  Perhaps  I  was  to  learn  how  my  father,  whose  per- 
sonal history  was  unknown  to  me,  had  woven  his  web  of 
story ;  how  he  had  found  the  world,  and  how  the  world 
had  left  him.  Perhaps  I  was  to  find  only  the  records  of 
lands  and  moneys,  how  gotten  and  how  secured ;  coming 
down  from  strange  men,  and  through  troublous  times,  to 
me  who  knew  little  or  nothing  of  them  all. 

To  solve  my  speculations,  and  to  dispel  the  awe  which 
was  fast  gathering  around  me  as  if  the  dead  were  drawing 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.       '  7 

near,  I  approached  the  secretary ;  and  having  found  the 
key  that  fitted  the  upper  portion,  I  opened  it  with  some 
diflBculty,  drew  near  it  a  heavy  high-backed  chair,  and  sat 
down  before  a  multitude  of  little  drawers  and  slides  and 
pigeon-holes.  But  the  door  of  a  little  cupboard  in  the 
centre  especially  attracted  my  interest,  as  if  there  lay  the 
secret  of  this  long-hidden  world.  Its  key  I  found.  One 
of  the  rusty  hinges  cracked  and  broke  as  I  opened  the  door : 
it  revealed  a  number  of  small  pigeon-holes.  These,  how- 
ever, being  but  shallow  compared  with  the  depth  of  those 
around  the  little  cupboard,  the  outer  ones  reaching  to  the 
back  of  the  desk,  I  concluded  that  there  must  be  some  ac- 
cessible space  behind;  and  found,  indeed,  that  they  were 
formed  in  a  separate  framework,  which  admitted  of  the 
whole  being  pulled  out  in  one  piece.  Behind,  I  found  a 
sort  of  flexible  portcullis  of  small  bars  of  wood  laid  close 
together  horizontally.  After  long  search,  and  trying 
many  ways  to  move  it,  I  discovered  at  last  a  scarcely  pro- 
jecting point  of  steel  on  one  side.  I  pressed  this  re- 
peatedly and  hard  with  the  point  of  an  old  tool  that  was 
lying  near,  till  at  length  it  yielded  inwards  ;  and  the  little 
slide,  flying  up  suddenly,  disclosed  a  chamber,  —  empty, 
except  that  in  one  corner  lay  a  little  heap  of  withered  rose- 
leaves,  whose  long-lived  scent  had  long  since  departed; 
and,  in  another,  a  small  packet  of  papers,  tied  with  a  bit 
of  ribbon,  whose  color  had  gone  with  the  rose-scent.  Al- 
most fearing  to  touch  them,  they  witnessed  so  mutely  to 


.  8  •  PHANTASIES  : 

the  law  of  oblivion,  I  leaned  back  in  my  chair,  and  re- 
garded them  for  a  moment ;  when  suddenly  there  stood  on 
the  threshold  of  the  little  chamber,  as  though  she  had  just 
emerged  from  its  depth,. a  tiny  woman-form,  as  perfect  in 
shape  as  if  she  had  been  a  small  Greek  statuette  roused  to 
life  and  motion.  Her  dress  was  of  a  kind  that  could  never 
grow  old-fashioned,  because  it  was  simply  natural :  a  robe 
plaited  in  a  band  around  the  neck,  and  confined  by  a  belt 
about  the  waist,  descended  to  her  feet.  It  -was  only  after- 
wards, however,  that  I  took  notice  of  her  dress,  although 
my  surprise  was  by  no  means  of  so  overpowering  a  degree 
as  such  an  apparition  might  naturally  be  expected  to  excite. 
Seeing,  however,  as  I  suppose,  some  astonishment  in  my 
countenance,  she  came  forward  within  a  yard  of  me,  and 
said,  in  a  voice  that  strangely  recalled  a  sensation  of  twi- 
light, and  reedy  river  banks,  and  a  low  wind,  even  in  this 
deathly  room :  — 

"  Anodos,  you  never  saw  such  a  little  creature  before, 
did  you  ?  " 

"No,"  said  I;  "and  indeed  I  hardly  believe  I  do 
now." 

"Ah!  that  is  always  the  way  with  you  men;  you  be- 
lieve nothing  the  first  time ;  and  it  is  foolish  enough  to  let 
mere  repetition  convince  you  of  what  you  consider  in  itself 
unbelievable.  I  am  not  going  to  argue  with  you,  however, 
but  to  grant  you  a  wish." 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  V 

Here  I  could  not  help  interrupting  her  with  the  foolisli 
speech,  of  which,  however,  I  had  no  cause  to  repent :  — 

"How  can  such  a  very  little  creature  as  you,  grant  or 
refuse  anything  ?  " 

' '  Is  that  all  the  philosophy  you  have  gained  in  one-and 
twenty  years?"  said  she.  "Form  is  much,  but  size  is 
nothing.  It  is  a  mere  matter  of  relation.  I  suppose  your 
six-foot  lordship  does  not  feel  altogether  insignificant, 
though  to  others  you  do  look  small  beside  your  old  Uncle 
Ralph,  who  rises  above  you  a  great  half-foot  at  least.  But 
size  is  of  so  little  consequence  with  me,  that  I  may  as  well 
accommodate  myself  to  your  foolish  prejudices." 

So  saying,  she  leaped  from  the  desk  upon  the  floor;  where 
she  stood  a  tall,  gracious  lady,  with  pale  face  and  large 
blue  eyes.  Her  dark  hair  flowed  behind,  wavy  but  un- 
curled, down  to  her  waist,  and  against  it  her  form  stood 
clear  in  its  robe  of  white. 

*'  Now,"  said  she,  "you  will  believe  me." 

Overcome  with  the  presence  of  a  beauty  which  I  could 
now  perceive,  and  drawn  towards  her  by  an  attraction 
irresistible  as  incomprehensible,  I  suppose  I  stretched  out 
my  arms  towards  her,  for  she  drew  back  a  step  or  two.  and 
said  :  — 

"  Foolish  boy,  if  you  could  touch  me,  I  should  hurt  you. 
Besides,  I  was  two  hundred  and  thirty-seven  years  old  last 
Midsummer-eve  ;  and  a  man  must  not  fall  in  love  with  his 
grandmother,  you  know." 


10  PHANTASTES : 

"  But  you  are  not  my  grandmother,"  said  I. 

"How  do  you  know  that?  "  she  retorted.  ."  I  dare  say 
you  know  something  of  your  great-grandfathers  a  good  deal 
further  back  than  that ;  but  you  know  very  little  about 
your  great-grandmothers  on  either  side.  Now,  to  the 
point.  Your  little  sister  was  reading  a  fairy  tale  to  you 
last  night." 

"She  was." 

"  When  she  had  finished,  she  said,  as  she  closed  the 
book,  '  Is  there  a  fairy  country,  brother  ?  '  You  replied 
with  a  sigh,  '  I  suppose  there  is,  if  one  could  find  the  way 
into  it.'  " 

"I  did;  but  I  meant  something  quite  different  from 
what  you  seem  to  think." 

"  Never  mind  what  I  seem  to  think.  You  shall  find 
the  way  into  Fairy-land  to-morrow.  Now  look  in  my 
eyes." 

Eagerly  I  did  so.  They  filled  me  with  an  unknown 
longing.  I  remembered  somehow  that  my  mother  died 
when  I  was  a  baby.  I  looked  deeper  and  deeper,  till  they 
spread  around  me  like  seas,  and  I  sank  in  their  waters.  I 
forgot  all  the  rest,  till  I  found  myself  at  the  window,  whose 
gloomy  curtains  were  withdrawn,  and  where  I  stood  gazing 
on  a  whole  heaven  of  stars,  small  and  sparkling  in  the 
moonlight.  Below  lay  a  sea,  still  as  death,  and  hoary  in 
the  moon,  sweeping  into  bays  and  around  capes  and  islands, 
away,  away,  I  knew  not  whither.     Alas !  it  was  no  sea, 


A    FAERIE   ROMANCE.  11 

but  a  low  fog  burnished  by  the  moon.     "  Surely  there  is 
such  a  sea  somewhere  !  "  said  I  to  myself.     A  low,  sweet 
voice  beside  me  replied  : — 
"  In  Fairy-land,  Anodos." 

I  turned,  but  saw  no  one.     I  closed  the  secretary,  and 
went  to  my  own  room,  and  to  bed. 

■  All  this  I  recalled  as  I  lay  with  half-closed  eyes.  I  was 
soon  to  find  the  truth  of  the  lady's  promise,  that  this  day 
I  should  discover  the  road  into  Fairy-land. 


12  PHANTASIES: 


II. 


"  Wo  ist  der  Strom?  "  rief  er  mit  Thranen.  "  Siehst  du  nicht  seine 
bLauen  Wellen  iiber  uns  ?  "  Er  sah  hinauf,  und  der  blaue  Strom  floss 
leise  iiber  ihrem  Haupte.  — Novalis.     Heinrich  von  Ofterdingen. 

""Where  is  the  stream?"  cried  he,  with  tears.  "  Seest  thou  not 
its  blue  waves  above  us  ?  "  He  looked  up,  and  lo !  the  blue  stream 
was  flowing  gently  over  their  heads. 

While  these  strange  events  were  passing  through  my 
mind,  I  suddenly,  as  one  awakes  to  the  consciousness  that 
the  sea  has  been  moaning  by  him  for  hours,  or  that  the 
storm  has  been  howling  about  his  window  all  night,  became 
aware  of  the  sound  of  running  water  near  me ;  and,  looking 
out  of  bed,  I  saw  that  a  large  green  marble  basin,  in  which 
I  was  wont  to  wash,  and  which  stood  on  a  low  pedestal  of 
the  same  material  in  a  corner  of  my  room,  was  overflowing 
like  a  spring  ;  and  that  a  stream  of  clear  water  was  run- 
ning over  the  carpet,  all  the  length  of  the  room,  finding 
its  outlet  I  knew  not  where.  And,  stranger  still,  where 
this  carpet,  which  I  had  myself  designed  to  imitate  a  field 
of  grass  and  daisies,  bordered  the  course  of  the  little 
stream,  the  grass-blades  and  daisies  seemed  to  wave  in  a 
tiny  breeze  that  followed  the  water's  flow ;  while  under 
the  rivulet  they  bent  and  swayed  with  every  motion  of  the 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE,  13 

changeful  current,  as  if  they  were  about  to  dissolve  with 
it,  and,  forsaking  their  fixed  form,  become  fluent  as  the 
waters. 

Mj  dressing-table  was  an  old-fashioned  piece  of  furni- 
ture of  black  oak,  with  drawers  all  down  the  front.  These 
were  elaborately  carved  in  foliage,  of  which  ivy  formed 
the  chief  part.  The  nearer  end  of  this  table  remained 
just  as  it  had  been,  but  on  the  further  end  a  singular 
change  had  commenced.  I  happened  to  fix  my  eye  on  a 
little  cluster  of  ivy-leaves.  The  first  of  these  Avas  evi- 
dently the  work  of  the  carver ;  the  next  looked  curious ; 
the  third  was  unmistakable  ivy ;  and  just  beyond  it  a 
tendril  of  clematis  had  twined  itself  about  the  gilt  handle 
of  one  of  the  drawers.  Hearing  next  a  slight  motion  above 
me,  I  looked  up,  and  saw  that  the  branches  and  leaves  de- 
signed upon  the  curtains  of  my  bed  were  slightly  in  mo- 
tion. Not  knowing  what  change  might  follow  next,  I 
thought  it  high  time  to  get  up  ;  and,  springing  from  the 
bed,  my  bare  feet  alighted  upon  a  cool  green  sward ;  and 
although  I  dressed  in  all  haste,  I  found  myself  completing 
my  toilet  under  the  boughs  of  a  great  tree,  whose  top 
waved  in  the  golden  stream  of  the  sunrise  with  many 
interchanging  lights,  and  with  shadows  of  leaf  and  branch 
gliding  over  leaf  and  branch,  as  the  cool  morning  wind 
swung  it  to  and  fro,  like  a  sinking  sea-wave. 

After  washing  as  well  as  I  could  in  the  clear  stream,  I 
rose   and  looked   around   me.     The   tree   under  which   I 


14  PHANTASTES : 

seemed  to  have  lain  all  night,  was  one  of  the  advanced 
guard  of  a  dense  forest,  towards  which  the  rivulet  ran. 
Faint  traces  of  a  footpath,  much  overgrown  with  grass  and 
moss,  and  with  here  and  there  a  pimpernel  even,  were 
discernible  along  the  right  bank.  "  This,"  thought  I, 
"must  surely  be  the  path  into  Fairy-land,  which  the 
lady  of  last  night  promised  I  should  so  soon  find."  I 
crossed  the  rivulet,  and  accompanied  it,  keeping  the  foot- 
path on  its  right  bank,  until  it  led  me,  as  I  expected,  into 
the  wood.  Here  I  left  it,  without  any  good  reason,  and 
with  a  vague  feeling  that  I  ought  to  have  followed  its 
course  :  I  took  a  more  southerly  direction. 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  15 


III. 

Man  doth  usurp  all  space, 

Stares  thee,  in  rock,  bush,  river,  in  the  face. 

Never  yet  thine  eyes  behold  a  tree ; 

'Tis  no  sea  thou  se§st  in  the  sea, 

'Tis  but  a  disguised  humanity. 

To  avoid  thy  fellow,  vain  thy  plan ; 

All  that  interests  a  man,  is  man. 

Henry  Sutton. 
• 

The  trees,  which  were  far  apart  where  I  entered,  giving 
free  passage  to  the  level  rays  of  the  sun,  closed  rapidly  as  I 
advanced,  so  that  ere  long  their  crowded  stems  barred  the 
sunlight  out,  forming,  as  it  were,  a  thick  grating  between 
me  and  the  east.  I  seemed  to  be  advancing  towards  a 
second  midnight.  In  the  midst  of  the  intervening  twilight, 
however,  before  I  entered  what  appeared  to  be  the  darkest 
portion  of  the  forest,  I  saw  a  country  maiden  coming  to- 
wards me  from  its  very  depths.  She  did  not  seem  to 
observe  me,  for  she  was  apparently  intent  upon  a  bunch  of 
wild  flowers  which  she  carried  in  her  hand.  I  could 
hardly  see  her  face ;  for,  though  she  came  right  towards 
me,  she  never  looked  up.  But  when  we  met,  instead  of 
passing,  she  turned  and  walked  alongside  of  me  for  a  few 
yards,  still  keeping  her  face  downwards,  and  busied  with 


16  PHANTASTES : 

her  flowers.  She  spoke  rapidly,  however,  all  the  time,  m 
a  low  tone,  as  if  talking  to  herself,  but  evidently  addressing 
the  purport  of  her  words  to  me,  She  seemed  afraid  of 
being  observed  by  some  lurking  foe.  "  Trust  the  Oak," 
said  she;  "trust  the  Oak  and  the  Elm  and  the  great 
"Beech.  Take  care  of  the  Birch ;  for.  though  she  is  honest, 
she  is  too  young  not  to  be  changeable.  But  shun  the  Ash 
and  the  Alder  ;  for  the  Ash  is  an  ogre,  —  you  will  know 
him  by  his  thick  fingers ;  and  the  Alder  will  smother  you 
with  her  web  of  hair,  if  you  let  her  near  you  at  night." 
All  this  was  uttered  without  pause  or  alteration  of  tone. 
Then  she  turned  suddenly  and  left  me,  walking  still  with 
the  same  unchanging  gait.  I  could  not  conjecture  what 
she  meant ;  but  satisfied  myself  with  thinking  that  it  would 
be  time  enough  to  find  out  her  meaning  when  there  was 
need  to  make  use  of  her  warning ;  and  that  the  occasion 
would  reveal  the  admonition.  I  concluded,  from  the  flowers 
that  she  carried,  that  the  forest  could  not  be  everywhere  so 
dense  as  it  appeared  from  where  I  was  now  walking ;  and  I 
was  right  in  this  conclusion.  For  soon  I  came  to  a  more 
open  part,  and  by  and  by  crossed  a  wide,  grassy  glade,  on 
which  were  several  circles  of  brighter  green.  But  even 
here  I  was  struck  with  the  utter  stillness.  No  bird  sang. 
No  insect  hummed.  Not  a  living  creature  crossed  my 
way.  Yet  somehow  the  whole  environment  seemed  only 
asleep,  and  to  wear  even  in  sleep  an  air  of  expectation. 
The  trees  seemed  all  to  have  an  expression  of  conscious 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  17 

mystery,  as  if  they  said  to  themselves,  ' '  "We  could,  an'  if 
we  would."  They  had  all  a  meaning  look  about  them. 
Then  I  remembered  that  night  is  the  fairies'  day,  and  the 
moon  their  sun ;  and  I  thought,  —  everything  sleeps  and 
dreams  now;  when  the  night  comes,  it  will  be  different. 
At  the  same  time  I,  being  a  man  and  a  child  of  the  day,  felt 
some  anxiety  as  to  how  I  should  fare  among  the  elves  and 
other  children  of  the  night  who  wake  when  mortals  dream, 
and  find  their  common  life  in  those  wondrous  hours  that 
flow  noiselessly  over  the  moveless,  death-like  forms  of  men 
and  women  and  children,  lying  strewn  and  parted  beneath 
the  weight  of  the  heavy  waves  of  night,  which  flow  on  and 
beat  them  down,  and  hold  them  drowned  and  senseless, 
until  the  ebb-tide  comes,  and  the  waves  sink  away,  back 
into  the  ocean  of  the  dark.  But  I  took  courage  and  went 
on.  Soon,  however,  I  became  again  anxious,  though  from 
another  cause.  I  had  eaten  nothing  that  day,  and  for  an 
hour  past  had  been  feeling  the  want  of  food.  So  I  grew 
afraid  lest  I  should  find  nothing  to  meet  my  human  neces- 
sities in  this  strange  place ;  but  once  more  I  comforted 
myself  with  hope  and  went  on. 

Before  noon,  I  fancied  I  saw  a  thin  blue  smoke  rising 
amongst  the  stems  of  larger  trees  in  front  of  me ;  and  soon 
I  came  to  an  open  spot  of  ground,  in  which  stood  a  little 
cottage,  so  built  that  the  stems  of  four  great  trees  formed 
its  corners,  while  their  branches  met  and  intertwined  over 
its  roof,  heaping  a  great  cloud  of  leaves  over  it,  up  towards 


18  PHANTASIES  : 

the  heavens.  I  wondered  at  finding  a  human  dwelling  in 
this  neighborhood ;  and  yet  it  did  not  look  altogether 
human,  though  sufficiently  so  to  encourage  me  to  expect 
some  sort  of  food.  Seeing  no  door,  I  went  round  to  the 
other  side,  and  there  I  found  one,  wide  open.  A  woman 
sat  beside  it,  preparing  some  vegetables  for  dinner.  This 
was  homely  and  comforting.  As  I  came  near,  she  looked 
up,  and,  seeing  me,  showed  no  surprise,  but  bent  her  head 
again  over  her  work,  and  said,  in  a  low  tone  :  — 

' '  Did  you  see  my  daughter  ?  ' ' 

"I  believe  I  did,"  said  I.  "Can  you  give  me  some- 
thing to  eat,  for  I  am  very  hungry  ?  " 

"With  pleasure,"  she  replied,  in  the  same  tone ;  "but 
do  not  say  anything  more,  till  you  come  into  the  house,  for 
the  Ash  is  watching  us." 

Having  said  this,  she  rose  and  led  the  way  into  the  cot- 
tage ;  which,  I  now  saw,  was  built  of  the  stems  of  small 
trees  set  closely  together,  and  was  furnished  with  rough 
chairs  and  tables,  from  which  even  the  bark  had  not  been 
removed.  As  soon  as  she  had  shut  the  door  and  set  a 
chair  :  — 

"You  have  fairy  blood  in  you,"  said  she,  looking  hard 
at  me. 

"  How  do  you  know  that?  " 

' '  You  could  not  have  got  so  far  into  this  wood  if  it  were 
not  so ;  and  I  am  trying  to  find  out  some  trace  of  it  in 
your  countenance.     I  think  I  see  it." 


<  A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  19 

"What  do  you  see?" 

"Oil,  never  mind ;  I  may  be  mistaken  in  that." 
"  But  how,  then,  do  you  come  to  live  here?  " 
"  Because  I,  too,  have  fairy  blood  in  me." 
Here  I,  in  my  turn,  looked  hard  at  her;  and  thought 
I   could  perceive,    notwithstanding  the  coarseness   of  her 
features,  and  especially  the  heaviness  of  her  eyebrows,  a 
something  unusual,  —  I  could  hardly  call  it  grace,  and  yet 
it  wag  an  expression  that  strangely  contrasted  with  the 
form  of  her  features.     I  noticed,  too,  that  her  hands  were 
delicately  formed,  though  brown  with  work  and  exposure. 
"  I  should  be  ill,"  she  continued,  "  if  I  did  not  live  on 
the  borders  of  the  fairies'  country,  and  now  and  then  eat 
of  their  food.     And  I  see  by  your  eyes  that  you  are  not 
quite  free  of  the  same  need ;  though,  from  your  education 
and  the  activity  of  your  mind,  you  have  felt  it  less  than  I. 
You  may  be  further  removed,  too,  from  the  fairy  race." 

I  remembered  what  the  lady  had  said  about  my  grand- 
mothers. 

Here  she  placed  some  bread  and  some  milk  before  me, 
with  a  kindly  apology  for  the  homeliness  of  the  fare,  with 
which,  however,  I  was  in  no  humor  to  quarrel.  I  now 
thought  it  time  to  try  to  get  some  explanation  of  the 
strange  words  both  of  her  daughter  and  herself 

"  What  did  you  mean  by  speaking  so  about  the  Ash  ?  " 
She  arose  and  looked  out  of  the  little  window.     My  eyes 
followed  her ;  but  as  the  window  was  too  small  to  allow 


•20  PHANTASIES : 

anything  to  be  seen  from  where  I  was  sitting,  I  rose  and 
looked  over  her  shoulder.  I  had  just  time  to  see,  across 
the  open  space,  on  the  edge  of  the  denser  forest,  a  single 
large  ash-tree,  whose  foliage  showed  bluish  amidst  the 
truer  green  of  the  other  trees  around  it ;  when  she  pushed 
me  back  with  an  expression  of  impatience  and  terror,  and 
then  almost  shut  out  the  light  from  the  window  bj  setting 
up  a  large  old  book  in  it. 

"In  general,"  said  she,  recovering  her  composure, 
"  there  is  no  danger  in  the  daytime,  for  then  he  is  sound 
asleep ;  but  there  is  something  unusual  going  on  in  the 
woods  ;  there  must  be  some  solemnity  among  the  fairies  to- 
night, for  all  the  trees  are  restless,  and,  although  they  can- 
not come  awake,  they  see  and  hear  in  their  sleep." 

"  But  what  danger  is  to  be  dreaded  from  him  ?  " 

Instead  of  answering  the  question,  she  went  again  to  the 
window  and  looked^out,  saying  she  feared  the  fairies  would 
be  interrupted  by  foul  weather,  for  a  storm  was  brewing  in 
the  west. 

' '  And  the  sooner  it  grows  dark,  the  sooner  the  Ash  will 
be  awake,"  added  she. 

I  asked  her  how  she  knew  that  there  was  any  unusual 
excitement  in  the  woods.     She  replied :  — 

"  Besides  the  look  of  the  trees,  the  dog  there  is  un- 
happy ;  and  the  eyes  and  ears  of  the  white  rabbit  are  redder 
than  usual,  and  he  frisks  about  as  if  he  expected  some  fun. 
If  the  cat  were  at  home,  she  would  have  her  back  up ;  for 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  21 

the  young  fairies  pull  the  sparks  out  of  her  tail  with 
bramble-thorns,  and  she  knows  when  they  are  coming.  So 
do  I,  in  another  way." 

At  this  instant,  a  gray  cat  rushed  in  like  a  demon,  and 
disappeared  in  a  hole  in  the  wall. 

'-  There,  I  told  you  !  "  said  the  woman. 

"But  what  of  the  ash-tree?"  said  I,  returning  once 
more  to  the  subject.  Here,  however,  the  young  woman, 
whom  I  had  met  in  the  morning,  entered.  A  smile  passed 
between  the  mother  and  daughter;  and  then  the  latter 
began  to  help  her  mother  in  little  household  duties. 

"  I  should  like  to  stay  here  till  the  evening,"  I  said ; 
"  and  then  go  on  my  journey,  if  you  will  allow  me." 

"You  are  welcome  to  do  as  you  please  ;  only  it  might 
be  better  to  stay  all  night  than  risk  the  dangers  of  the 
wood  then.     Where  are  you  going?  " 

"  Nay,  that  I  do  not  know,"  I  replied  ;  "  but  I  wish  to 
see  all  that  is  to  be  seen,  and  therefore  I  should  like  to 
start  just  at  sundown." 

"  You  are  a  bold  youth,  if  you  have  any  idea  of  what 
you  are  daring  ;  but  a  rash  one,  if  you  know  nothing  about 
it ;  and,  excuse  me,  you  do  not  seem  very  well  informed 
about  the  country  and  its  manners.  However,  no  one 
comes  here  but  for  some  reason,  either  known  to  himself  or 
to  those  who  have  charge  of  him ;  so  you  shall  do  just  as 
you  wish." 

Accordingly  I  sat  down,  and  feeling  rather  tired,  and 


22  PHANTASIES : 

disinclined  for  further  talk,  I  asked  leave  to  look  at  the  old 
book  which  still  screened  the  window.  The  woman  brought 
it  to  me  directly,  but  not  before  taking  another  look 
towards  the  forest,  and  then  drawing  a  white  blind  over 
the  window.  I  sat  down  opposite  to  it  by  the  table,  on 
which  I  laid  the  great  old  volume,  and  read.  It  con- 
tained many  wondrous  tales  of  Fairy-land,  and  olden 
times,  and  the  Knights  of  King  Arthur's  table.  I  read  on 
and  on,  till  the  shades  of  the  afternoon  began  to  deepen ; 
for  in  the  midst  of  the  forest  it  gloomed  earlier  than. in  the 
open  country.     At  length  I  came  to  this  passage  :  — 

"Here  it  chaunced,  that,  upon  their  quest.  Sir  Galahad 
and  Sir  Percivale  rencountered  in  the  depths  of  a  great 
forest.  Now  Sir  Galahad  was  dight  all  in  harness  of 
silver,  clear  and  shining ;  the  which  is  a  delight  to  look 
upon,  but  full  hasty  to  tarnish,  and,  withouten  the  labour  of 
a  ready  squire,  uneath  to  be  kept  fair  and  clean.  And 
yet  withouten  squire  or  page.  Sir  Galahad's  armour  shone 
like  the  moon.  And  he  rode  a  great  white  mare,  whose 
bases  and  other  housings  were  black,  but  all  besprent  with 
fair  lilys  of  silver  sheen.  Whereas  Sir  Percivale  bestrode 
a  red  horse,  with  a  tawny  mane  and  tale  ;  whose  trappings 
were  all  to-smirched  with  mud  and  mire  ;  and  his  armour 
was  wondrous  rosty  to  behold,  ne  could  he  by  any  art  fur- 
bish it  again ;  so  that  as  the  sun  in  his  going  down  slione 
twixt  the  bare  trunks  of  the  trees,  full  upon  tlic  knights 
twain,   the  one  did  seem  all  shining  with  light,  and  the 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  23 

other  all  to  glow  with  ruddy  fire.  Now  it  came  about  in 
this  wise.  For  Sir  Percivale,  after  his  escape  from  the 
demon  ladj,  whenas  the  cross  on  the  handle  of  his  sword 
smote  him  to  the  heart,  and  he  rove  himself  through  the 
thigh,  and  escaped  away,  he  came  to  a  great  wood ;  and  in 
nowise  cured  of  his  fault,  yet  bemoaning  the  same,  the 
damosel  of  the  alder- tree  encountered  him,  right  fair  to 
see ;  and  with  her  fair  words  and  false  countenance  she 
comforted  him  and  beguiled  him,  until  he  followed  her 
where  she  led  him  to  a  —  " 

Here  a  low,  hurried  cry  from  my  hostess  caused  me  to 
look  up  from  the  book,  and  I  read  no  more. 

"  Look  there  !  "  she  said;   "  look  at  his  fingers  !  " 

Just  as  I  had  been  reading  in  the  book,  the  setting  sun 
was  shining  through  a  cleft  in  the  clouds  piled  up  in  the 
west;  and  a  shadow,  as  of  a  large,  distorted  hand,  with 
thick  knobs  and  humps  on  the  fingers,  so  that  it  was  much 
wider  across  the  fingers  than  across  the  undivided  part  of 
the  hand,  passed  slowly  over  the  little  blind,  and  then  as 
slowly  returned  in  the  opposite  direction. 

"  He  is  almost  awake,  mother;  and  greedier  than  usual 
to-night." 

"  Hush,  child  !  you  need  not  make  him  more  angry  with 
us  than  he  is ;  for  you  do  not  know  how  soon  something 
may  happen  to  oblige  us  to  be  in  the  forest  after  nightfall." 

"But  you  are  in  the  forest,"  said  I;  "how  is  it  that 
you  are  safe  here?  " 


24  PHANTASTES: 

I 
I 

"He  dares  not  come  nearer  than  he  is  now,"  she  re-; 
plied ;   "for  any  of  those  four  oaks,  at  the  corners  of  our 
cottage,  would  tear  him  to  pieces :  they  are  our  friends. . 
But  he  stands  there  and  makes  awful  faces  at  us  some- 1 
times,  and  stretches  out  his  long  arms  and  fingers,  and 
tries  to  kill  us  with  fright ;  for,  indeed,  that  is  his  favorite 
way  of  doing.     Pray,  keep  out  of  his  way  to-night." 

"  Shall  I  be  able  to  see  these  beinsis  ?  "  said  I. 

' '  That  I  cannot  tell  yet,  not  knowing  how  much  of 
the  fairy  nature  there  is  in  you.  But  we  shall  soon  see 
whether  you  can  discern  the  fairies  in  my  little  garden, 
and  that  will  be  some  guide  to  us." 

"Are  the  trees  fairies  too,  as  well  as  the  flowers?"  I 
asked. 

"They  are  of  the  same  race,"  she  replied;  "though 
those  you  call  fairies  in  your  country  are  chiefly  the  young 
children  of  the  flower  fairies.  They  are  very  fond  of  having 
fun  with  the  thick  people,  as  they  call  you ;  for,  like 
most  children,  they  like  fun  better  than  anything  else." 

"Why  do  you  have  flowers  so  near  you  then?  Do 
they   not  annoy  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  they  are  very  amusing,  with  their  mimicries 
of  grown  people,  and  mock  solemnities.  Sometimes  they 
will  act  a  whole  play  through,  before  my  eyes,  with  perfect 
composure  and  assurance,  for  they  are  not  afraid  of  me. 
Only,  as  soon  as  they  have  done,  they  burst  into  peals  of 
tiny  laughter,  as  if  it  was  such  a  joke  to  have  been  serious 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  25 

over  anything.  These  I  speak  of,  however,  are  the  fairies 
of  the  garden.  They  are  more  staid  and  educated  than 
those  of  the  fields  and  woods.  Of  course  thej  have  near 
relations  amongst  the  wild  flowers ;  but  they  patronize 
them,  and  treat  them  as  country  cousins,  who  know  noth- 
ing of  life,  and  very  little  of  manners.  Now  and  then, 
however,  they  are  compelled  to  envy  the  grace  and  sim- 
plicity of  the  natural  flowers." 

"  Do  they  live  in  the  flowers  ?  "  I  said. 

"  I  cannot  tell,"  she  replied.  "There  is  something  in 
it  I  do  not  understand.  Sometimes  they  disappear  alto- 
gether, even  from  me,  though  I  know  they  are  near. 
They  seem  to  die  always  with  the  flowers  they  resemble, 
and  by  whose  names  they  are  called ;  but  whether  they 
return  to  life  with  the  fresh  flowers,  or,  whether  it  be  new 
flowers,  new  fairies,  I  cannot  tell.  They  have  as  many 
sorts  of  dispositions  as  men  and  women,  while  their  moods 
are  yet  more  variable  :  twenty  difierent  expressions  will 
cross  their  little  faces  in  half  a  minute.  I  often  amuse 
myself  with  watching  them,  but  I  have  never  been  able  to 
make  personal  acquaintance  with  any  of  them.  If  I  speak 
to  one,  he  or  she  looks  up  in  my  face,  as  if  I  were  not 
worth  heeding,  gives  a  little  laugh,  and  runs  away."  Here, 
the  woman  started,  as  if  suddenly  recollecting  herself,  and 
said  in  a  low  voice  to  her  daughter,  ' '  Make  haste  —  go 
and  watch  him,  and  see  in  what  direction  he  goes." 

I  may  as  well  mention  here,  that  the  conclusion  I  ar- 


26  PHANTASTES: 

rived  at,  from  the  observations  I  was  afterwards  able  to 
make,  was,  that  the  flowers  die  because  the  fairies  go  away; 
not  that  the  fairies  disappear  because  the  flowers  die.  The 
flowers  seem  a  sort  of  houses  for  them,  or  outer  bodies, 
which  they  can  put  on  or  oflf  when  they  please.  Just  as 
you  could  form  some  idea  of  the  nature  of  a  man  from  the 
kind  of  house  he  built,  if  he  followed  his  own  taste,  so  you 
could,  without  seeing  the  fairies,  tell  what  any  one  of 
them  is  like,  by  looking  at  the  flower  till  you  feel  that 
you  understand  it.  For  just  what  the  flower  says  to  you 
would  the  face  and  form  of  the  fairy  say ;  only  so  much 
more  plainly  as  a  face  and  human  figure  can  express  more 
than  a  flower.  For  the  house  or  the  clothes,  though  like 
the  inhabitant  or  the  wearer,  cannot  be  wrought  into  an 
equal  power  of  utterance.  Yet  you  would  see  a  strange 
resemblance,  almost  oneness,  between  the  flower  and  the 
fairy,  which  you  could  not  describe,  but  which  described 
itself  to  you.  Whether  all  the  flowers  have  fairies,  I  can- 
not determine,  any  more  than  I  can  be  sure  whether  all 
men  and  women  have  souls. 

The  woman  and  I  continued  the  conversation  for  a  few 
minutes  longer.  I  was  much  interested  by  the  information 
she  gave  me,  and  astonished  at  the  language  in  which  she 
was  able  to  convey  it.  It  seemed  that  intercourse  with 
the  fairies  was  no  bad  education  in  itself.  But  now  the 
daughter  returned  with  the  news  that  the  Ash  had  just 
gone   away   in   a   south-westerly  direction  j    and,    as   my 


^ 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  27 

course  seemed  to  lie  eastward,  she  hoped  I  should  be  in  no 
danger  of  meeting  him  if  I  departed  at  once.  I  looked  out 
of  the  little  window,  and  there  stood  the  ash-tree,  to  my 
eyes  the  same  as  before ;  but  I  believed  that  they  knew 
better  than  I  did,  and  prepared  to  go.  I  pulled  out  my 
purse ;  but  to  my  dismay  there  was  nothing  in  it.  The 
woman  with  a  smile  begged  me  not  to  trouble  myself,  for 
money  was  not  of  the  slightest  use  there  ;  and  as  I  might 
meet  with  people  in  my  journeys  whom  I  could  not  recog- 
nize to  be  fairies,  it  was  well  I  had  no  money  to  offer,  for 
nothing  offended  them  so  much. 

"They  would  think,"  she  added,  "that  you  were  mak- 
ing game  of  them  ;  and  that  is  their  peculiar  privilege 
with  regard  to  us."  So  we  went  together  into  the  little 
garden,  which  sloped  down  towards  a  lower  part  of  the 
wood. 

Here,  to  my  great  pleasure,  all  was  life  and  bustle. 
There  was  still  light  enough  from  the  day  to  see  a  little ; 
and  the  pale  half-moon,  half-way  to  the  zenith,  was  reviving 
every  moment.  The  whole  garden  was  like  a  carnival, 
with  tiny,  gayly  decorated  forms,  in  groups,  assemblies, 
processions,  pairs  or  trios,  moving  stately  on,  running  about 
wildly,  or  sauntering  hither  and  thither.  From  the  cups 
or  bells  of  tall  flowers,  as  from  balconies,  some  looked  down 
on  the  masses  below,  now  bursting  with  laughter,  now 
grave  as  owls ;  but,  even  in  their  deepest  solemnity,  seeming 
only  to  be  waiting  for  the  arrival  of  the  next  laugh.     Some 


28  PHANTASTES  : 

were  launched  on  a  little  marshy  stream  at  the  bottom,  in 
boats  chosen  from  the  heaps  of  last  year's  leayes  that  lay 
about,  curled  and  withered.  These  soon  sank  ^Yith  them ; 
whereupon  they  swam  ashore  and  got  others.  Those  who 
took  fresh  rose-leaves  for  their  boats  floated  the  longest ; 
but  for  these  they  had  to  fight ;  for  the  fairy  of  the  rose-tree 
complained  bitterly  that  they  were  stealing  her  clothes, 
and  defended  her  property  bravely. 

"  You  can't  wear  half  you've  got,"  said  some. 

"Never  you  mind;  I  don't  choose  you  to  have  them; 
they  are  my  property." 

"  All  for  the  good  of  the  community  !  "  said  one,  and  ran 
off  with  a  great  hollow  leaf  But  the  rose-fairy  sprang 
after  him  (what  a  beauty  she  was  !  only  too  like  a  drawing- 
room  young  lady),  knocked  him  heels  over  head  as  he  ran, 
and  recovered  her  great  red  leaf  But  in  the  mean  time 
twenty  had  hurried  off  in  different  directions  with  others 
just  as  good ;  and  the  little  creature  sat  down  and  cried, 
and  then,  in  a  pet,  sent  a  perfect  pink  snow-storm  of  petals 
from  her  tree,  leaping  from  branch  to  branch,  and  stamp- 
ing and  shaking  and  pulling.  At  last,  after  another  good 
cry,  she  chose  the  biggest  she  could  find,  and  ran  away, 
laughing,  to  launch  her  boat  amongst  the  rest. 

But  my  attention  was  first  and  chiefly  attracted  by  a 
group  of  fairies  near  the  cottage,  who  were  talking  together 
around  what  seemed  a  last  dying  primrose.     They  talked 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  29 

singing,    and    their    talk   made    a   song,    something  like 
this :  — 

"Sister  Snowdrop  died 

Before  we  were  born." 
"  She  came  like  a  bride 
In  a  snowy  morn." 
"  What's  a  bride  ?  " 

"  What  is  snow?" 
"  Never  tried." 
"Do  not  know." 

"  Who  told  you  about  her?  " 

"  Little  Primrose  there 
Cannot  do  without  her." 

"  Oh,  so  sweetly  fair! " 
"Never  fear, 

She  will  come, 
Primrose  dear." 

"Is  she  dumb?" 

"  She'll  come  by  and  by." 

"  You  will  never  see  her." 
"  She  went  home  to  die, 
Till  the  new  year." 
"  Snowdrop !  "  "  'Tis  no  good 

To  invite  her." 
"  Primrose  is  very  rude." 
"  I  will  bite  her." 

" O  you  naughty  Pocket! 

Look,  she  drops  her  head." 
"  She  deserved  it,  Kocket, 

And  she  was  nearly  dead." 


30  PHANTASTES : 

"  To  your  hammock  —  off  with  you ! " 

"And  swing  alone." 
' '  No  one  will  laugh  with  you." 

"  No,  not  one." 

"Now  let  us  moan." 

"  And  cover  her  o'er." 
' '  Primrose  is  gone." 

"  All  but  the  flower." 
"  Here  is  a  leaf." 

"  Lay  her  upon  it." 
"  Follow  in  grief." 

"  Pocket  has  done  it. 

"  Deeper,  poor  creature! 

Winter  may  come." 
"  He  cannot  reach  her,  — 

That  is  a  hum." 
"  She  is  buried,  the  beauty!  " 

"  Now  she  is  done." 

"  That  was  the  duty." 

"  Now  for  the  fun." 

And  "with  a  wild  laugh  they  sprang  away,  most  of  them 
towards  the  cottage.  During  the  latter  part  of  the  song- 
talk,  they  had  formed  themselves  into  a  funeral  procession, 
two  of  them  hearing  poor  Primrose,  whose  death  Pocket  had 
hastened  by  biting  her  stalk,  upon  one  of  her  own  great 
leaves.  They  bore  her  solemnly  along  some  distance,  and 
then  buried  her  under  a  tree.  Although  I  say  her,  I  saw 
nothing  but  the  withered  primrose-flower  on  its  long  stalk. 
Pocket,  who  had  been  expelled  from  the  company  by  com- 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  31 

mon  consent,  went  sulkily  away  towards  her  hammock,  for 
she  was  the  fairy  of  the  calceolaria,  and  looked  rather 
wicked.  When  she  reached  its  stem,  she  stopped  and 
looked  round.  I  could  not  help  speaking  to  her,  for  I 
stood  near  her.  I  said,  "  Pocket,  how  could  you  be 
so  naughty?" 

"I  am  never  naughty,"  she  said,  half-crossly,  half- 
defiantly;  "only,  if  you  come  near  my  hammock,  I  will 
bite  you,  and  then  you  will  go  away." 

"  Why  did  you  bite  poor  Primrose  ?  " 

•'  Because  she  said  we  should  never  see  Snowdrop  ;  as  if 
we  were  not  good  enough  to  look  at  her,  and  she  was,  the 
proud  thing  !  —  served  her  right !  " 

"  0  Pocket,  Pocket !  "  said  I ;  but  by  this  time  the  party 
which  had  gone  towards  the  house  rushed  out  again,  shout- 
ing and  screaming  with  laughter.  Half  of  them  were  on 
the  cat's  back,  and  half  held  on  by  her  fur  and  tail,  or  ran 
beside  her ;  till,  more  coming  to  their  help,  the  furious  cat 
was  held  fast ;  and  they  proceeded  to  pick  the  sparks  out 
of  her  with  thorns  and  pins,  which  -they  handled  like  har- 
poons. Indeed,  there  were  more  instruments  at  work 
about  her  than  there  could  have  been  sparks  in  her.  One 
little  fellow  who  held  on  hard  by  the  tip  of  the  tail,  with 
his  feet  planted  on  the  ground  at  an  angle  of  forty-five 
degrees,  helping  to  keep  her  fast,  administered  a  continuous 
flow  of  admonitions  to  Pussy. 

"  Now,  Pussy,  be  patient.     You  know  quite  well  it  is 


32  PHANTASIES : 

all  for  your  good.  You  cannot  be  comfortable  with  all 
those  sparks  in  you ;  and,  indeed,  I  am  charitably  disposed 
to  believe"  (here  he  became  very  pompous)  "  that  they 
are  the  cause  of  all  your  bad  temper ;  so  we  must  have 
them  all  out,  every  one,  else  we  shall  be  reduced  to  the 
painful  necessity  of  cutting  your  claws,  and  pulling,  out 
your  eye-teeth.     Quiet !  Pussy,  quiet !  " 

But,  with  a  perfect  hurricane  of  feline  curses,  the  poor 
animal  broke  loose,  and  dashed  across  the  garden  and 
through  the  hedge,  faster  than  even  the  fairies  could  fol- 
low. "Never  mind,  never  mind,  we  shall  find  her  again; 
and  by  that  time  she  will  have  laid  in  a  fresh  stock  of 
sparks.  Hooray !  "  And  off  they  set,  after  some  new 
mischief. 

But  I  will  not  linger  to  enlarge  on  the  amusing  displays 
of  these  frolicsome  creatures.  Their  manners  and  habits 
are  now  so  well  known  to  the  world,  having  been  so  often 
described  by  eye-witnesses,  that  it  would  be  only  indulging 
self-conceit  to  add  my  account  in  full  to  the  rest.  I  can- 
not help  wishing,  however,  that  my  readers  could  see  them 
for  themselves.  Especially  do  I  desire  that  they  should 
see  the  fairy  of  the  daisy,  —  a  little,  chubby,  round-eyed 
child,  with  such  innocent  trust  in  his  look !  Even  the 
most  mischievous  of  the  fairies  would  not  tease  him, 
although  he  did  not  belong  to  their  set  at  all,  but  was  quite 
a  little  country  bumpkin.     He  wandered  about  alone,  and 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  33 

looked  at  everything,  with  his  hands  in  his  little  pockets, 
and  a  white  nightcap  on,  —  the  darling  !  He  was  not  so 
beautiful  as  many  other  wild  flowers  I  saw  afterwards,  but 
so  dear  and  loving  in  his  looks  and  little,  confident  ways. 


34  PHANTASTES : 


IV. 

When  bale  is  att  hyest,  boote  is  nyest. 

Ballad  of  Sir  Aldingar. 

By  this  time  my  hostess  was  quite  anxious  that  I  should 
be  gone.  So,  with  warm  thanks  for  their  hospitality,  I 
took  my  leave,  and  went  my  way  through  the  little  garden 
towards  the  forest.  Some  of  the  garden  flowers  had  wan- 
dered into  the  wood,  and  were  growing  here  and  there 
along  the  path,  but  the  trees  soon  became  too  thick  and 
shadowy  for  them.  I  particularly  noticed  some  tall  lilies, 
which  grew  on  both  sides  of  the  way,  with  large,  dazzlingly 
white  flowers,  set  off  by  the  universal  green.  It  was  now 
dark  enough  for  me  to  see  that  every  flower  was  shining 
with  a  light  of  its  own.  Indeed  it  was  by  this  light  that  I 
saw  them,  —  an  internal,  peculiar  light,  proceeding  fi*om 
each,  and  not  reflected  from  a  common  source  of  light  as  in 
the  daytime.  This  light  sufficed  only  for  the  plant  itself, 
and  was  not  strong  enough  to  cast  any  but  the  faintest 
shadows  around  it,  or  to  illuminate  any  of  the  neighboring 
objects  with  other  than  the  faintest  tinge  of  its  own  individ- 
ual hue.  From  the  lilies  above  mentioned,  from  the  cam- 
panulas, from  the  foxgloves,  and  every  bell-shaped  flower, 
curious  little  figures  shot  up  their  heads,  peeped  at  me,  and 


A   FAERIE   HOMANCE.  35 

drew  back.  They  seemed  to  inhabit  them,  as  snails  their 
shells ;  but  I  was  sure  some  of  them  were  intruders,  and 
belonged  to  the  gnomes  or  goblin-fairies,  who  inhabit  the 
ground  and  earthy  creeping-plants.  From  the  cups  of 
Arum  lilies,  creatures  with  great  heads  and  grotesque  faces 
shot  up  like  Jack-in-the-box,  and  made  grimaces  at  me  ;  or 
rose  slowly  and  slily  over  the  edge  of  the  cup,  and  spouted 
water  at  me,  slipping  suddenly  back,  like  those  little  sol- 
dier-crabs that  inhabit  the  shells  of  sea-snails.  Passing  a 
row  of  tall  thistles,  I  saw  them  crowded  with  little  faces, 
which  peeped  every  one  from  behind  its  flower,  and  drew 
back  as  quickly ;  and  I  heard  them  saying  to  each  other, 
evidently  intending  me  to  hear,  but  the  speaker  always 
hiding  behind  his  tuft,  when  I  looked  in  his  direction, 
"  Look  at  him  !  Look  at  him !  He  has  begun  a  story 
without  a  beginning,  and  it  will  never  have  any  end.  He  ! 
he  !  he  !     Look  at  him  !  " 

But,  as  I  went  further  into  the  wood,  these  sights  and 
sounds  became  fewer,  giving  way  to  others  of  a  different 
character.  A  little  forest  of  wild  hyacinths  was  alive  with 
exquisite  creatures,  who  stood  nearly  motionless,  with 
drooping  necks,  holding  each  by  the  stem  of  her  flower, 
and  swaying  gently  with  it,  whenever  a  low  breath  of  wind 
swung  the  crowded  floral  belfry.  In  like  manner,  though 
differing  of  course  in  form  and  meaning,  stood  a  group  of 
harebells,  like  little  angels  waiting,  ready,  till  they  were 
wanted  to  go  on  some  yet  unknown  message.     In  darker 


36  PHANTASIES : 

nooks,  bj  the  mossy  roots  of  the  trees,  or  in  little  tufts  of 
grass,  each  dwelling  in  a  globe  of  its  own  green  light,  weav- 
ing a  network  of  grass  and  its  shadows,  glowed  the  glow- 
worms. They  were  just  like  the  glowworms  of  our  OAvn 
land,  for  they  are  fairies  everywhere ;  worms  in  the  day, 
and  glowworms  at  night,  when  their  own  can  appear,  and 
they  can  be  themselves  to  others  as  well  as  themselves. 
But  they  had  their  enemies  here.  For  I  saw  great,  strong- 
armed  beetles,  hurrying  about  with  most  unwieldy  haste, 
awkward  as  elephant-calves,  looking  apparently  for  glow- 
worms ;  for  the  moment  a  beetle  espied  one,  through  what 
to  it  was  a  forest  of  grass,  or  an  underwood  of  moss,  it 
pounced  upon  it,  and  bore  it  away,  in  spite  of  its  feeble 
resistance.  Wondering  what  their  object  could  be,  I 
watched  one  of  the  beetles,  and  then  I  discovered  a  thing 
I  could  not  account  for.  But  it  is  no  use  trying  to  account 
for  things  in  Fairy-land ;  and  one  who  travels  there  soon 
learns  to  forget  the  very  idea  of  doing  so,  and  takes  every- 
thing as  it  comes ;  like  a  child,  who,  being  in  a  chronic 
condition  of  wonder,  is  surprised  at  nothing.  What  I  saw 
was  this.  Everywhere,  here  and  there  over  the  ground, 
lay  little,  dark-looking  lumps  of  something  more  like  earth 
than  anything  else,  and  about  the  size  of  a  chestnut.  The 
beetles  hunted  in  couples  for  these ;  and,  having  found  one, 
one  of  them  stayed  to  watch  it,  while  the  other  hurried  to 
find  a  glowworm.  By  signals,  I  presume,  between  them, 
the  latter  soon  found  his  companion  again  ;  they  then  took 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  87 

the  glowworm  and  held  its  luminous  tail  to  the  dark,  earthj 
pallet ;  when,  lo  !  it  shot  up  into  the  air  like  a  sky-rocket, 
seldom,  however,  reaching  the  height  of  the  highest  tree. 
Just  like  a  rocket,  too,  it  burst  in  the  air,  and  fell  in  a 
shower  of  the  most  gorgeously  colored  sparks  of  every  va- 
riety of  hue ;  golden  and  red,  and  purple  and  green,  and 
blue  and  rosy  fires  crossed  and  intercrossed  each  other,  be- 
neath the  shadowy  heads,  and  between  the  columnar  stems 
of  the  forest  trees.  They  never  used  the  same  glowworm 
twice,  I  observed,  but  let  him  go,  apparently  uninjured  by 
the  use  they  had  made  of  him. 

In  other  parts,  the  whole  of  the  immediately  surrounding 
foliage  was  illuminated  by  the  interwoven  dances  in  ihe 
air  of  splendidly  colored  fireflies,  which  sped  hither  and 
thither,  turned,  twisted,  crossed  and  recrossed,  entw-ning 
every  complexity  of  intervolved  motion.  Here  and  there 
whole  mighty  trees  glowed  with  an  emitted  phosphorescent 
light.  You  could  trace  the  very  course  of  the  great  roots 
in  the  earth  by  the  faint  light  that  came  through ;  and 
■  every  twig  and  every  vein  on  every  leaf  Avas  a  streak  of 
I  pale  fire. 

'  All  this  time,  as  I  went  on  through  the  wood,  I  was 
i  haunted  with  the  feeling  that  other  shapes,  more  like  my 
ij  own  in  size  and  mien,  were  moving  about  at  a  little  dis- 
tance on  all  sides  of  me.  But  as  yet  I  could  discern  none 
jof  them,  although  the  moon  was  high  enough  to  send  a 
I  great  many  of  her  rays  down  between  the  trees,  and  these 


88  PHANTASTES : 

rajs  Avere  unusually  bright,  and  sight-giving,  notwith- 
standing she  was  onlj  a  half  moon.  I  constantly  imagined, 
however,  that  forms  were  visible  in  all  directions  except 
that  to  which  my  gaze  was  turned ;  and  that  they  only 
became  invisible,  or  resolved  themselves  into  other  wood- 
land shapes,  the  moment  my  looks  were  directed  towards 
them.  However  this  may  have  been,  except  for  this  feeling 
of  presence,  the  woods  seemed  utterly  bare  of  anything 
like  human  companionship,  although  my  glance  often  fell 
on  some  object  which  I  fancied  to  be  a  human  form ;  for 
I  soon  found  that  I  was  quite  deceived,  as,  the  moment  I 
fixed  my  regard  on  it,  it  showed  plainly  that  it  was  a  bush, 
or  a  tree,  or  a  rock. 

Soon  a  vague  sense  of  discomfort  possessed  me.  With 
variations  of  relief,  this  gradually  increased ;  as  if  some 
evil  thing  were  wandering  about  in  my  neighborhood,  some- 
times nearer  and  sometimes  further  off,  but  still  approach- 
ing. The  feeling  continued  and  deepened,  until  all  my 
pleasure  in  the  shows  of  various  kinds  that  everywhere 
betokened  the  presence  of  the  merry  fairies,  vanished  by 
degrees,  and  left  me  full  of  anxiety  and  fear,  which  I  was 
unable  to  associate  with  any  definite  object  whatever.  At 
length  the  thought  crossed  my  mind  with  horror:  "Can 
it  be  possible  that  the  Ash  is  looking  for  me  ?  or  that, 
in  his  nightly  wanderings,  his  path  is  gradually  verging 
towards  mine?"  I  comforted  myself,  however,  by  re- 
membering that  he  had  started  quite  in  another  direction,  — 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  39 

one  that  would  lead  him,  if  he  kept  it.  far  apart  from  me ; 
especially  as,  for  the  last  two  or  three  hours,  I  had  been 
diligently  journeying  eastward.  I  kept  on  my  way,  there- 
fore, striving  by  direct  effort  of  the  will  against  the  en- 
croaching fear ;  and  to  this  end  occupying  my  mind,  as 
much  as  I  could,  with  other  thoughts.  I  was  so  far  suc- 
cessful that,  although  I  was  conscious,  if  I  yielded  for  a 
moment,  I  should  be  almost  overwhelmed  with  horror,  I 
was  yet  able  to  walk  right  on  for  an  hour  or  more.  What 
I  feared  I  could  not  tell.  Indeed  I  was  left  in  a  state  of 
the  vaguest  uncertainty  as  regarded  the  nature  of  my 
enemy,  and  knew  not  the  mode  or  object  of  his  attacks ; 
for,  somehow  or  other,  none  of  my  questions  had  succeeded 
in  drawing  a  definite  answer  from  the  dame  in  the  cottage. 
How  then  to  defend  myself  I  knew  not ;  nor  even  by  what 
sign  I  might  with  certainty  recognize  the  presence  of  my 
foe ;  for  as  yet  this  vague  though  powerful  fear  was  all  the 
indication  of  danger  I  had.  To  add  to  my  distress,  the 
clouds  in  the  west  had  risen  nearly  to  the  top  of  the  skies, 
and  they  and  the  moon  were  travelling  slowly  towards 
each  other.  Indeed,  some  of  their  advanced  guard  had 
already  met  her,  and  she  had  begun  to  wade  through  a 
filmy  vapor  that  gradually  deepened.  At  length  she  was 
for  a  moment  almost  entirely  obscured.  When  she  shone 
out  again,  with  a  brilliancy  increased  by  the  contrast,  I 
saw  plainly  on  the  path  before  me,  — from  around  which  at 
this  spdt  the  trees  receded,  leaving  a  small  space  of  green- 


40  PHANTASTES : 

sward,  —  the  shadow  of  a  large  hand,  with  knotty  joints 
and  protuberance*  here  and  there.  Especially  I  remarked, 
even  in  the  midst  of  my  fear,  the  bulbous  points  of  the  fin- 
gers. I  looked  hurriedly  all  round,  but  could  see  nothing 
from  which  such  a  shadow  should  fall.  Now,  however.^ 
that  I  had  a  direction,  however  undetermined,  in  which  to 
project  my  apprehension,  the  very  sense  of  danger  and 
need  of  action  overcame  that  stifling  which  is  the  worst 
property  of  fear.  I  reflected  in  a  moment,  that,  if  this 
were  indeed  a  shadow,  it  was  useless  to  look  for  the  object 
that  cast  it  in  any  other  direction  than  between  the 
shadow  and  the  moon.  I  looked,  and  peered,  and  intensi- 
fied my  vision,  all  to  no  purpose.  I  could  see  nothing  of 
that  kind,  not  even  an  ash-tree  in  the  neighborhood.  Still 
the  shadow  remained  ;  not  steady,  but  moving  to  and  fro  ; 
and  once  I  saw  the  fingers  close,  and  grind  themselves 
close,  like  the  claws  of  a  wild  animal,  as  if  in  uncontrolla- 
ble longing  for  some  anticipated  prey.  There  seemed  but 
one  mode  left  of  discovering  the  substance  of  this  shadow. 
I  went  forward  boldly,  though  with  an  inward  shudder 
which  I  would  not  heed,  to  the  spot  where  the  shadow  lay, 
threw  myself  on  the  ground,  laid  my  head  within  the  form 
of  the  hand,  and  turned  my  eyes  towards  the  moon. 
Good  heavens  !  what  did  I  see  ?  I  wonder  that  ever  I 
arose,  and  that  the  very  shadow  of  the  hand  did  not  hold 
me  where  I  lay  until  fear  had  frozen  my  brain.  I  saw  the 
strangest  figure,  —  vague,  shadowy,  almost  transparent,  in 


A    FAERIE   ROMANCE.  41 

the  central  parts,  and  gradually  deepening  in  substance 
towards  the  outside,  until  it  ended  in  extremities  capable 
of  casting  such  a  shadow  as  fell  from  the  hand,  through 
the  awful  fingers  of  which  I  now  saw  the  moon.  The 
hand  was  uplifted  in  the  attitude  of  a  paw  about  to  strike 
its  prey.  But  the  face,  which  throbbed  with  fluctuating 
and  pulsatory  visibility,  —  not  from  changes  in  the  light  it 
reflected,  but  from  changes  in  its  own  conditions  of  reflect- 
ing power,  the  alterations  being  from  within,  not  from 
without, ' —  it  was  horrible.  I  do  not  know  how  to  de- 
scribe it.  It  caused  a  new  sensation ;  just  as  one  cannot 
translate  a  horrible  odor,  or  a  ghastly  pain,  or  a  fearful 
sound,  into  words,  so  I  cannot  describe  this  new  form 
of  awful  hideousness.  I  can  only  try  to  describe  some- 
thing that  is  not  it,  but  seems  somewhat  parallel  to  it,  or 
at  least  is  suggested  by  it.  It  reminded  me  of  what  I  had 
heard  of  vampires ;  for  the  face  resembled  that  of  a  corpse 
more  than  anything  else  I  can  think  of ;  especially  when  I 
can  conceive  such  a  face  in  motion,  but  not  suggesting  any 
life  as  the  source  of  the  motion.  The  features  were 
rather  handsome  than  otherwise,  except  the  mouth,  which 
had  scarcely  a  curve  in  it.  The  lips  were  of  equal  thick- 
ness ;  but  the  thickness  was  not  at  all  remarkable,  even 
although  they  looked  slightly  swollen.  They  seemed 
fixedly  open,  but  were  not  wide  apart.  Of  course,  I  did 
not  remark  these  lineaments  at  the  time ;  I  was  too  horri- 
fied for  that.     I  noted  them  afterwards,  when  the  form  re- 


42  PHANTASTES : 

turned  on  my  inward  sight  with  a  vividness  too  intense  to 
admit  of  mj  doubting  the  accuracy  of  the  reflex.  But  the 
most  awful  of  the  features  were  the  eyes.  These  were 
alive,  yet  not  with  life.  They  seemed  lighted  up  with  an 
infinite  greed,  A  gnawing  voracity,  which  devoured  the 
devourer,  seemed  to  be  the  indwelling  and  propelling 
power  of  the  whole  ghastly  apparition.  I  lay  for  a  few 
moments  simply  imbruted  with  terror ;  when  another 
cloud,  obscuring  the  moon,  delivered  me  from  the  immedi- 
ately paralyzing  effects  of  the  presence  to  the  vision  of  the 
object  of  horror,  while  it  added  the  force  of  imagination  to 
the  power  of  fear  within  me ;  inasmuch  as,  knowing  far 
worse  cause  for  apprehension  than  before,  I  remained 
equally  ignorant  from  what  I  had  to  defend  myself,  or  how 
to  take  any  precautions.  He  might  be  upon  me  in  the 
darkness  any  moment.  I  sprang  to  my  feet,  and  sped  I 
knew  not  whither,  only  away  from  the  spectre.  I  thought 
no  longer  of  the  path,  and  often  narrowly  escaped  dashing 
myself  against  a  tree,  in  my  headlong  flight  of  fear. 

Great  drops  of  rain  began  to  patter  on  the  leaves. 
Thunder  began  to  mutter;  then  growl  in  the  distance.  I 
ran  on.  The  rain  fell  heavier.  At  length  the  thick  leaves 
could  hold  it  up  no  longer ;  and,  like  a  second  firmament, 
they  poured  their  torrents  on  the  earth,  I  was  soon 
drenched ;  but  that  was  nothing.  I  came  to  a  small,  swollen 
stream  that  rushed  through  the  woods.  I  had  a  vague 
hope  that,  if  I  crossed  this  stream,  I  should  be  in  safety 


A     FAERIE    ROMANCE.  43 

.from  my  pursuer ;  but  I  soon  found  that  my  hope  was  as 
false  as  it  was  vague.  I  dashed  across  the  stream,  ascended 
a  rising  ground,  and  reached  a  more  open  space,  where 
stood  only  great  trees.  Through  them  I  directed  my  way, 
holding  eastward  as  nearly  as  I  could  guess,  but  not  at  all 
certain  that  I  was  not  moving  in  an  opposite  direction. 
My  mind  was  just  reviving  a  little  from  its  extreme  terror, 
when,  suddenly,  a  flash  of  lightning,  or  rather  a  cataract 
of  successive  flashes,  behind  me,  seemed  to  throw  on  the 
ground  in  front  of  me,  but  far  more  faintly  than  before, 
from  the  extent  of  the  source  of  the  light,  the  shadow  of 
the  same  horrible  hand.  I  sprang  forward,  stung  to  yet 
wilder  speed  ;  but  had  not  run  many  steps  before  my  foot 
slipped,  and,  vainly  attempting  to  recover  myself,  I  fell  at 
the  foot  of  one  of  the  large  trees.  Half-stunned,  I  yet 
raised  myself,  and  almost  involuntarily  looked  back.  All 
I  saw  was  the  hand  within  three  feet  of  my  face.  But,  at 
the  same  moment,  I  felt  two  large,  soft  arms  thrown  round 
me  from  behind;  and  a  voice,  like  a  woman's,  said,  "Do 
not  fear  the  goblin;  he  dares  not  hurt  you  now."  With 
that,  the  hand  was  suddenly  withdrawn  as  from  a  fire,  and 
disappeared  in  the  darkness  and  the  rain.  Overcome  with 
the  mingling  of  terror  and  joy,  I  lay  for  some  time  almost 
insensible.  The  first  thing  I  remember  is  the  sound  of  a 
voice  above  me,  full  and  low,  and  strangely  reminding  me 
of  the  sound  of  a  gentle  wind  amidst  the  leaves  of  a  great 
tree.     It  murmured  over  and  over   again,   "I  may  love 


44  PHANTASTES : 

him,  I  may  love  him ;  for  he  is  a  man,  and  I  am  only  a 
beech-tree."  I  found  I  was  seated  on  the  ground,  leaning 
against  a  human  form,  and  supported  still  by  the  arms 
around  me,  which  I  knew  to  be  those  of  a  woman  who  must 
be  rather  above  the  human  size,  and  largely  proportioned. 
I  turned  my  head,  but  without  moving  otherwise,  for  I 
feared  lest  the  arms  should  untwine  themselves ;  and  clear, 
somewhat  mournful  eyes  met  mine.  At  least  that  is  how 
they  impressed  me ;  but  I  could  see  very  little  of  color  or 
outline  as  we  sat  in  the  dark  and  rainy  shadow  of  the  tree. 
The  face  seemed  very  lovely,  and  solemn  from  its  stillness, 
with  the  aspect  of  one  who  is  quite  content,  but  waiting  for 
something.  I  saw  my  conjecture  from  her  arms  was  cor- 
rect :  she  was  above  the  human  scale  throughout,  but  not 
greatly. 

"  Why  do  you  call  yourself  a  beech-tree?  "  I  said. 

"  Because  I  am  one,"  she  replied,  in  the  same  low,  musi- 
cal, murmuring  voice. 

"  You  are  a  woman,"  I  returned. 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?     Am  I  very  like  a  woman  then?  " 

"  You  are  a  very  beautiful  woman.  Is  it  possible  you 
should  not  know  it  ?  " 

"  I  am  very  glad  you  think  so.  I  fancy  I  feel  like  a 
woman  sometimes.  I  do  so  to-night  —  and  always  when 
the  rain  drips  from  my  hair.  For  there  is  an  old  prophecy 
in  our  woods  that  one  day  we  shall  all  be  men  and  women 
like  you.     Do  you  know  anything  about  it  in  your  region  ? 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  45 

Shall  I  be  very  happy  when  I  am  a  woman  ?  I  fear  not ; 
for  it  is  always  in  nights  like  these  that  I  feel  like  one. 
But  I  long  to  be  a  woman,  for  all  that." 

I  had  let  her  talk  on,  for  her  voice  was  like  a  solution 
of  all  musical  sounds.  I  now  told  her  that  I  could  hardly 
say  whether  women  were  happy  or  not.  I  knew  one  who 
had  not  been  happy ;  and,  for  my  part,  I  had  often  longed 
for  Fairy-land,  as  she  now  longed  for  the  world  of  men. 
But  then  neither  of  us  had  lived  long,  and  perhaps  people 
grew  happier  as  they  grew  older.  Only  I  doubted  it.  I 
could  not  help  sighing.  She  felt  the  sigh,  for  her  arms 
were  still  round  me.     She  asked  me  how  old  I  was. 

"  Twenty-one,"  said  I. 

"Why,  you  baby!"  said  she;  and  kissed  me  with  the 
sweetest  kiss  of  winds  and  odors.  There  was  a  cool  faith- 
fulness in  the  kiss,  that  revived  my  heart  wonderfully.  I 
felt  that  I  feared  the  dreadful  Ash  no  more. 

"What  did  the  horrible  Ash  want  with  me  ?  "  I  said. 

"  I  am  not  quite  sure,  but  I  think  he  wants  to  bury  you 
at  the  foot  of  his  tree.  But  he  shall  not  touch  you,  my^ 
child." 

"  Are  all  the  ash-trees  as  dreadful  as  he  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no.  They  are  all  disagreeable,  selfish  creatures 
—  (what  horrid  men  they  will  make,  if  it  be  true  !) —  but 
this  one  has  a  hole  in  his  heart  that  nobody  knows  of  but 
one  or  two  ;  and  he  is  always  trying  to  fill  it  up,  but  he 
cannot.     That  must  be  what  he  wanted  you  for.     I  won- 


46  PHANTASIES  : 

der  if  he  will  ever  be  a  man.     K  he  is,  I  hope  they  will 
kill  him." 

"  How  kind  of  you  to  save  me  from  him  !  " 

"  I  will  take  care  that  he  shall  not  come  near  you  again. 
But  there  are  some  in  the  wood  more  like  me,  from  whom, 
alas  !  I  cannot  protect  you.  Only  if  you  see  any  of  them 
very  beautiful,  try  to  walk  round  them." 

"What  then?" 

"  I  cannot  tell  you  more.  But  now  I  must  tie  some  of 
my  hair  about  you,  and  then  the  Ash  will  not  touch  you. 
Here,  cut  some  off.  You  men  have  strange  cutting  things 
about  you." 

She  shook  her  long  hair  loose  over  me,  never  moving  her 
arms. 

"  I  cannot  cut  your  beautiful  hair.  It  would  be  a 
shame." 

"Not  cut  my  hair  !  It  will  have  grown  long  enough 
before  any  is  wanted  again  in  this  wild  forest.  Perhaps  it 
may  never  be  of  any  use  again,  —  not  till  I  am  a  woman." 
And  she  sighed. 

As  gently  as  I  could,  I  cut  with  a  knife  a  long  tress  of 
flowing,  dark  hair,  she  hanging  her  beautiful  head  over  me. 
When  I  had  finished,  she  shuddered  and  breathed  deep,  as 
one  does  when  an  acute  pain,  steadfastly  endured  without 
sign  of  suffering,  is  at  length  relaxed.  She  then  took  the 
hair  and  tied  it  round  me,  singing  a  strange,  sweet  song, 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  .     47 

whjch  I  could   not   understand,  but  which   left  in  me  a 
feeling  like  this  :  — 

"  I  saw  thee  ne'er  before ; 
I  see  thee  never  more ; 
But  love,  and  help,  and  pain,  beautiful  one, 
Have  made  thee  mine,  till  all  my  years  are  done." 

I  cannot  put  more  of  it  into  words.  She  closed  her  arms 
about  me  again,  and  went  on  singing.  The  rain  in  the 
leaves,  and  a  light  wind  that  had  arisen,  kept  her  song 
company.  I  was  wrapped  in  a  trance  of  still  delight.  It 
told  me  the  secret  of  the  woods  and  the  flowers  and  the 
birds.  At  one  time  I  felt  as  if  I  was  wandering  in 
childhood  through  sunny  spring  forests,  over  carpets  of 
primroses,  anemones,  and  little  white  starry  things,  —  I  had 
almost  said,  creatures,  —  and  finding  new  wonderful  flowers 
at  every  turn.  At  another,  I  lay  half  dreaming  in  the 
hot  summer  noon,  with  a  book  of  old  tales  beside  me.  be- 
neath a  great  beech ;  or,  in  autumn,  grew  sad  because  I 
trod  on  the  leaves  that  had  sheltered  me,  and  received  their 
last  blessing  in  the  sweet  odors  of  decay ;  or,  in  a  winter 
evening,  frozen  still,  looked  up,  as  I  went  home  to  a  warm 
fireside,  through  the  netted  boughs  and  twigs  to  the  cold, 
snowy  moon,  with  her  opal  zone  around  her.  At  last  I  had 
fallen  asleep ;  for  I  know  nothing  more  that  passed,  till  I 
found  myself  lying  under  a  superb  beech-tree,  in  the  clear 
light  of  the  morning,  just  before  sunrise.  Around  me  was 
a  girdle  of  fresh  beech-leaves.     Alas  !  I  brouo;ht  nothing 


48  PHANTASIES : 

with  me  out  of  Fairy-land,  but  memories  —  memories. 
The  great  boughs  of  the  beech  hung  drooping  around  me. 
At  my  head  rose  its  smooth  stem,  with  its  great  sweeps 
of  curving  surface  that  swelled  like  undeveloped  limbs. 
The  leaves  and  branches  above  kept  on  the  song  w^hich  had 
sung  me  asleep ;  only  now,  to  my  mind,  it  sounded  like  a 
farewell  and  a  speedwell.  I  sat  a  long  time,  unwilling  to 
go ;  but  my  unfinished  story  urged  me  on*  I  must  act 
and  wander.  With  the  sun  well  risen,  I  rose,  and  put  my 
arms  as  far  as  they  would  reach  around  the  beech-tree,  and 
kissed  it,  and  said  good-by.  A  trembling  went  through 
the  leaves ;  a  few  of  the  last  drops  of  the  night's  rain  fell 
from  off  them  at  my  feet ;  and,  as  I  walked  slowly  away, 
I  seemed  to  hear  in  a  whisper  once  more  the  words  :  "  I 
may  love  him,  I  may  love  him ;  for  he  is  a  man,  and  I  am 
only  a  beech-tree." 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  49 


V. 

And  she  was  smooth  and  full,  as  If  one  gush 
Of  life  had  washed  her,  or  as  if  a  sleep 
Lay  on  her  eyelid,  easier  to  sweep 

Than  bee  from  daisy. 

Beddoe's  Pygmalion. 

Sche  was  as  whyt  as  lylye  yn  May, 
Or  snow  that  sneweth  yn  wynterys  day. 

Somance  of  Sir  Launfal. 

I  WALKED  on,  in  the  fresh  morning  air,  as  if  new-born. 
The  only  thing  that  damped  my  pleasure  was  a  cloud  of 
something  between  sorrow  and  delight,  that  crossed  my 
mind  with  the  frequently  returning  thought  of  my  last 
night's  hostess.  "But  then,"  thought  I,  '-if  she  is  sorry, 
I  could  not  help  it ;  and  she  has  all  the  pleasures  she  ever 
had.  Such  a  day  as  this  is  surely  a  joy  to  her,  as  much 
at  least  as  to  me.  And  her  life  will  perhaps  be  the  richer, 
for  holding  now  within  it  the  memory  of  what  came,  but 
could  not  stay.  And  if  ever  she  is  a  woman,  who  knows 
but  we  may  meet  somewhere  ?  there  is  plenty  of  room  for 
meeting  in  the  universe."  Comforting  myself  thus,  yet 
with  a  vague  compunction,  as  if  I  ought  not  to  have  left 
her,  I  went  on.  There  was  little  to  distinguish  the  woods 
to-day  from  those  of  my  own  land ;  except  that  all  the  wild 


50  PHANTASTES : 

things,  rabbits,  birds,  squirrels,  mice,  and  the  numberless 
other  inhabitants,  were  very  tame ;  that  is,  they  did  not 
run  away  from  me,  but  gazed  at  me  as  I  passed,  frequently 
coming  nearer,  as  if  to  examine  me  more  closely.  Whether 
this  came  from  utter  ignorance,  or  from  familiarity  with  the 
human  ajDpearance  of  beings  who  never  hurt  them,  I  could 
not  tell.  As  I  stood  once,  looking  up  to  the  splendid 
flower  of  a  parasite,  which  hung  from  the  branch  of  a  tree 
over  my  head,  a  large  white  rabbit  cantered  slowly  up,  put 
one  of  its  little  feet  on  one  of  mine,  and  looked  up  at  me 
with  its  red  eyes,  just  as  I  had  been  looking  up  at  the 
flower  above  me.  I  stooped  and  stroked  it;  but  when  I 
attempted  to  lift  it,  it  banged  the  ground  with  its  hind  feet, 
and  scampered  off  at  a  great  rate,  turning,  however,  to  look 
at  me  several  times  before  I  lost  sight  of  it.  Now  and 
then,  too,  a  dim  human  figure  would  appear  and  disappear, 
at  some  distance,  amongst  the  trees,  moving  like  a  sleep- 
walker.    But  no  one  ever  came  near  me. 

This  day  I  found  plenty  of  food  in  the  forest,  —  strange 
nuts  and  fruits  I  had  never  seen  before.  I  hesitated  to  eat 
them  ;  but  argued  that,  if  I  could  live  on  the  air  of  Fairy- 
land, I  could  live  on  its  food  also.  I  found  my  reasoning 
correct,  and  the  result  was  better  than  I  had  hoped ;  for  it 
not  only  satisfied  my  hunger,  but  operated  in  such  a  way 
upon  my  senses,  that  I  was  brought  into  far  more  complete 
relationship  with  the  things  around  me.  The  human  forms 
appeared   much   more   dense  and   defined;  more  tangibly 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  51 

visible,  if  I  may  say  so.  I  seemed  to  know  better  which 
direction  to  choose  when  any  doubt  arose.  I  began  to  feel 
in  some  degree  what  the  birds* meant  in  their  songs,  though 
I  could  not  express  it  in  words,  any  more  than  you  can 
some  landscapes.  At  times,  to  my  surprise,  I  found  my- 
self listening  attentively,  and  as  if  it  were  no  unusual 
thing  with  me,  to  a  conversation  between  two  squirrels  or 
monkeys.  The  subjects  were  not  very  interesting,  except 
as  associated  with  the  individual  life  and  necessities  of  the 
little  creatures  :  where  the  best  nuts  were  to  be  found  in 
the  neighborhood,  and  who  could  crack  them  best,  or  who 
had  most  laid  up  for  the  winter,  and  such  like ;  only  they 
never  said  where  the  store  was.  There  was  no  great  dif- 
ference in  kind  between  their  talk  and  our  ordinary  human 
conversation.  Some  of  the  creatures  I  never  heard  speak 
at  all,  and  believe  they  never  do  so,  except  under  the  im- 
pulse of  some  great  "excitement.  The  mice  talked ;  but 
the  hedgehogs  seemed  very  phlegmatic ;  and  though  I  met 
a  couple  of  moles  above  ground  several  times,  they  never 
said  a  word  to  each  other  in  my  hearing.  There  were  no 
wild  beasts  in  the  forest ;  at  least  I  did  not  see  one  larger 
than  a  wild-cat.  There  were  plenty  of  snakes,  however, 
and  I  do  not  think  they  were  all  harmless  ;  but  none  ever 
bit  me. 

Soon  after  mid-day,  I  arrived  at  a  bare,  rocky  hill,  of  no 
great  size,  but  very  steep;  and  having  no  trees — scarcely 
even  a  bush  —  upon  it.  entirely  exposed  to  the  heat  of  the 


52  PHANTASTES : 

sun.  Over  this  my  way  seemed  to  lie,  and  I  immediately 
began  the  ascent.  On  reaching  the  top,  hot  and  weary,  I 
looked  around  me,  and  saw  that  the  forest  still  stretched  as 
far  as  the  sight  could  reach  on  every  side  of  me.  I  ob- 
served that  the  trees,  in  the  direction  which  I  was  about 
to  descend,  did  not  come  so  near  the  foot  of  the  hill  as  on 
the  other  side,  and  was  especially  regretting  the  unexpected 
postponement  of  shelter,  because  this  side  of  the  hill 
seemed  more  difficult  to  descend  than  the  other  had  been 
to  climb,  when  my  eye  caught  the  appearance  of  a  natural 
path,  winding  down  through  broken  rocks  and  along  the 
course  of  a  tiny  stream,  which  I  hoped  would  lead  me  more 
easily  to  the  foot.  I  tried  it,  and  found  the  descent  not  at 
all  laborious;  nevertheless,  when  I  reached  the  bottom,  I 
was  very  tired  and  exhausted  with  the  heat.  But  just 
where  the  path  seemed  to  end  rose  a  great  rock  quite 
overgrown  with  shrubs  and  creeping-plants,  some  of  them 
in  full  and  splendid  blossom ;  these  almost  concealed  an 
opening  in  the  rock,  into  which  the  path  appeared  to  lead. 
I  entered,  thirsting  for  the  shade  which  it  promised.  What 
was  my  delight  to  find  a  rocky  cell,  all  the  angles  rounded 
away  with  rich  moss,  and  every  ledge  and  projection 
crowded  with  lovely  ferns,  the  variety  of  whose  forms  and 
groupings  and  shades  wrought  in  me  like  a  poem ;  for  such 
a  harmony  could  not  exist,  except  they  all  consented  to 
some  one  end  !  A  little  well  of  the  clearest  water  filled  a 
mossy   hollow  in  one  corner.      I  drank,  and  felt  as  if  I 


A  FAERIE   ROMANCE.  53 

knew  what  the  elixir  of  life  must  be;  then  threw  my- 
self on  a  mossy  mound,  that  lay  like  a  couch  along  the 
inner  end.  Here  I  lay  like  a  delicious  reverie  for  some 
time ;  during  which  all  lovely  forms,  and  colors,  and 
sounds  seemed  to  use  my  brain  as  a  common  hall,  where 
they  could  come  and  go,  unbidden  and  unexcused.  •  I  had 
never  imagined  that  such  capacity  for  simple  happiness  lay 
in  me,  as  was  now  awakened  by  this  assembly  of  forms  and 
spiritual  sensations,  which  yet  were  far  too  vague  to  admit 
of  being  translated  into  any  shape  common  to  my  own  and 
another  mind.  I  had  lain  for  an  hour,  I  should  suppose, 
though  it  may  have  been  far  longer,  when,  the  harmonious 
tumult  in  my  mind  having  somewhat  relaxed,  I  became 
aware  that  my  eyes  were  fixed  on  a  strange,  time-worn  bas- 
relief  on  the  rock  opposite  to  me.  This,  after  some  pon- 
dering, I  concluded  to  represent  Pygmalion,  as  he  awaited 
the  quickening  of  his  statue.  The  sculptor  sat  more  rigid 
than  the  figure  to  which  his  eyes  were  turned.  That 
seemed  about  to  step  from  its  pedestal  and  embrace  the 
man,  who  waited  rather  than  expected. 

"  A  lovely  story,"  I  said  to  myself.  "  This  cave,  now, 
with  the  bushes  cut  away  from  the  entrance  to  let  the  light 
in,  might  be  such  a  place  as  he  would  choose,  withdrawn 
from  the  notice  of  men,  to  set  up  his  block  of  marble,  and 
mould  into  a  visible  body  the  thought  already  clothed  with 
form  in  the  unseen  hall  of  the  sculptor's  brain.  And, 
indeed,  if  I  mistake  not,"  I  said,  starting  up,  as  a  sudden 


54  PHANTASTES  : 

ray  of  light  arrived  at  that  moment  through  a  crevice  in 
the  roof,  and  lighted  up  a  small  portion  of  the  rock,  bare 
of  vegetation,  "this  very  rock  is  marble,  white  enough  and 
delicate  enough  for  any  statue,  even  if  destined  to  become 
an  ideal  woman  in  the  arms  of  the  sculptor." 

I  took  my  knife  and  removed  the  moss  from  a  part  of 
the  block  on  which  I  had  been  lying ;  when,  to  my  sur- 
prise, I  found  it  more  like  alabaster  than  ordinary  marble, 
and  soft  to  the  edge  of  the  knife.  In  fact,  it  was  alabaster. 
By  an  inexplicable,  though  by  no  means  unusual,  kind  of 
impulse,  I  went  on  removing  the  moss  from  the  surface  of 
the  stone ;  and  soon  saw  that  it  was  polished,  or  at  least 
smooth,  throughout.  I  continued  my  labor;  and,  after 
clearing  a  space  of  about  a  couple  of  square  feet,  I  observed 
what  caused  me  to  prosecute  the  work  with  more  interest 
and  care  than  before.  Tor  the  ray  of  sunlight  had  now 
reached  the  spot  I  had  cleared,  and  under  its  lustre  the 
alabaster  revealed  its  usual  slight  transparency  when  pol- 
ished, except  where  my  knife  had  scratched  the  surface ; 
and  I  observed  that  the  transparency  seemed  to  have  a 
definite  limit,  and  to  end  upon  an  opaque  body  like  the 
more  solid  white  marble.  I  was  careful  to  scratch  no 
more.  And  first,  a  vague  anticipation  gave  way  to  a 
startling  sense  of  possibility ;  then,  as  I  proceeded,  one 
revelation  after  another  produced  the  entrancing  conviction, 
that,  under  the  crust  of  alabaster,  lay  a  dimly  visible  form 
in  marble,  but  whether  of  man  or  woman  I  could  not  yet 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  55 

tell.  I  worked  on  as  rapidly  as  the  necessary  care  would 
permit ;  and  when  I  had  uncovered  the  whole  mass,  and, 
rising  from  my  knees,  had  retreated  a  little  way,  so  that 
the  effect  of  the  whole  might  fall  on  me,  I  saw  before  me 
with  suflBcient  plainness  —  though  at  the  same  time  with 
considerable  indistinctness,  arising  from  the  limited  amount 
of  light  the  place  admitted,  as  well  as  from  the  nature  of 
the  object  itself  —  a  block  of  pure  alabaster  enclosing  the 
form,  apparently  in  marble,  of  a  reposing  woman.  She  lay 
on  one  side,  with  her  hand  under  her  cheek,  and  her  face 
towards  me ;  but  her  hair  had  fallen  partly  over  her  face, 
so  that  I  could  not  see  the  expression  of  the  whole.  What 
I  did  see  appeared  to  me  perfectly  lovely ;  more  near  the 
face  that  had  been  born  with  me  in  my  soul  than  anything. 
I  had  seen  before  in  nature  or  art.  The  actual  outlines  of 
the  rest  of  the  form  were  so  indistinct,  that  the  more  than 
semi-opacity  of  the  alabaster  seemed  insufficient  to  account 
for  the  fact ;  and  I  conjectured  that  a  light  robe  added  its 
obscurity.  Numberless  histories  passed  through  my  mind, 
of  change  of  substance  from  enchantment  and  other  causes, 
and  of  imprisonments  such  as  this  before  me.  I  thought  of 
the  Prince  of  the  Enchanted  City,  half  marble  and  half  a  liv- 
ing man ;  of  Ariel ;  of  Niobe ;  of  the  Sleeping  Beauty  in 
the  Wood ;  of  the  bleeding  trees ;  and  many  other  histories. 
Even  my  adventure  of  the  preceding  evening  with  the  lady 
of  the  beech-tree  contributed  to  arouse  the  wild  hope,  that 
by  some  means  life  might  be  given  to  this  form  also,  and 


56  PHANTASIES : 

that,  breaking  from  her  alabaster  tomb,  she  might  glorify 
my  eyes  with  her  presence.  "For,"  I  argued,  "who 
can  tell  but  this  cave  may  be  the  home  of  Marble,  and  this, 
essential  Marble, — that  spirit  of  marble  which,  present 
throughout,  makes  it  capable  of  being  moulded  into  any 
form  ?  Then  if  she  should  awake  !  But  how  to  awake 
her  ?  A  kiss  awoke  the  Sleeping  Beauty :  a  kiss  cannot 
reach  her  through  the  incrusting  alabaster."  I  kneeled, 
however,  and  kissed  the  pale  coffin ;  but  she  slept  on.  I 
bethought  me  of  Orpheus,  and  the  following  stones  ;  that 
trees  should  follow  his  music  seemed  nothing  surprising 
now.  Might  not  a  song  awake  this  form,  that  the  glory 
of  motion  might  for  a  time  displace  the  loveliness  of  rest  ? 
Sweet  sounds  can  go  where  kisses  may  not  enter.  I  sat 
and  thought. 

Now,  although  always  delighting  in  music,  I  had  never 
been  gifted  with  the  power  of  song,  until  I  entered  the 
fairy  forest.  I  had  a  voice,  and  I  had  a  true  sense  of 
sound ;  but  when  I  tried  to  sing,  the  one  would  not  con- 
tent the  other,  and  so  I  remained  silent.  This  morninsr, 
however,  I  had  found  myself,  ere  I  was  aware,  rejoicing  in 
a  song ;  but,  whether  it  was  before  or  after  I  had  eaten  of 
the  fruits  of  the  forest,  I  could  not  satisfy  myself.  I  con- 
cluded it  was  after,  however;  and  that  the  .increased  im- 
pulse to  sing  I  now  felt,  was  in  part  owing  to  having  drunk 
of  the  little  well,  which  shone  like  a  brilliant  eye  in  a 
corner  of  the  cave.     I  sat  down  on  the  ground  by  the 


A   FAERIE   KOMANCE.  57 

"antenatal  tomb,"  leaned  upon  it  with  mj  face  towards  the 
head  of  the  figure  within,  and  sang,  — the  words  and  tones 
coming  together,  and  inseparably  connected,  as  if  word  and 
tone  formed  one  thing ;  or  as  if  each  word  could  be  uttered 
onlj  in  that  tone,  and  was  incapable  of  distinction  from  it, 
except  in  idea,  bj  an  acute  analysis.  I  sang  something 
like  this  ;  but  the  words  are  only  a  dull  representation  of 
a  state  whose  very  elevation  precluded  the  possibility  of 
remembrance ;  and  in  which  I  presume  the  words  really 
employed  were  as  far  above  these,  as  that  state  transcended 
this  wherein  I  recall  it :  — 

"  Mai'ble  woman,  vainly  sleeping 

In  the  very  death  of  dreams  ! 
Wilt  thou  —  slumber  from  thee  sweeping, 

All  but  what  with  vision  teems  — 
Hear  my  voice  come  through  the  golden 

Mist  of  memory  and  hope ; 
And  with  shadowy  smile  embolden 

Me  with  primal  Death  to  cope  ? 

"  Thee  the  sculptors  all  pursuing, 
Have  embodied  but  their  own ; 
Round  their  visions,  form  induing, 
Marble  vestments  thou  hast  thrown ; 
-    But  thyself,  in  silence  winding. 
Thou  hast  kept  eternally ; 
Thee  they  found  not,  many  finding ; 
I  have  found  thee  :  wake  for  me." 

As  I  sang,  I  looked  earnestly  at  the  face  so  vaguely  re- 
vealed before  me.      I  fancied,  yet  believed  it  to  be  but 


68  PHANTASIES : 

fancy,  that,  through  the  dim  veil  of  the  alabaster,  I  saw  a 
motion  of  the  head  as  if  caused  by  a  sinking  sigh.  I  gazed 
more  earnestly,  and  concluded  that  it  was  but  fancy. 
Nevertheless  I  could  not  help  singing  again :  — 

"Eest  is  now  filled  full  of  beauty, 
And  can  give  thee  up,  I  ween ; 
Come  thou  forth,  for  other  duty : 
Motion  pineth  for  her  queen. 

"  Or,  if  needing  years  to  wake  thee 
From  thy  slumbrous  solitudes. 
Come,  sleep-walking,  and  betake  thee 
To  the  friendly,  sleeping  woods. 

"  Sweeter  dreams  are  in  the  forest; 

Bound  thee  storms  would  never  rave ; 
And  when  need  of  rest  is  sorest, 
Glide  thou  then  into  thy  cave. 

"  Or,  if  still  thou  choosest  rather 
Marble,  be  its  spell  on  me ; 
Let  thy  slumber  round  me  gather. 
Lot  another  dream  with  thee  !  " 

Again  I  paused,  and  gazed  through  the  stony  shroud,  as 
if,  by  very  force  of  penetrative  sight,  I  would  clear  every 
lineament  of  the  lovely  face.  And  now  I  thought  the 
hand  that  had  lain  under  the  cheek  had  slipped  a  little 
downward.  But  then  I  could  not  be  sure  that  I  had  at 
first  observed  its  position  accurately.      So  I  sang  again  j 


A    FAERIE   ROMANCE.  59 

for  the  longing  had  grown  into  a  passionate  need  of  seeing 
her  alive : 

"  Or  art  thou  Death,  0  woman?   for  since  I 
Have  set  me  singing  by  thy  side, 
Life  hath  forsook  tlie  upper  sky, 
And  all  the  outer  world  hath  died. 

"  Yea,  I  am  dead;  for  thou  hast  drawn 
My  life  all  downward  unto  thee. 
Dead  moon  of  love  !  let  twilight  dawn ; 
Awake  !  and  let  the  darkness  flee. 

*'  Cold  lady  of  the  lovely  stone ! 

Awake  !  or  I  shall  perish  here ; 
And  thou  be  never  more  alone, 
My  form  and  I  for  ages  near. 

"  But  words  are  vain ;  reject  them  all,  — 
They  utter  but  a  feeble  part : 
Hear  thou  the  depths  from  which  they  call. 
The  voiceless  longing  of  my  heart." 

There  arose  a  slightly  crashing  sound.  Like  a  sudden 
apparition  that  conies  and  is  gone,  a  white  form,  veiled  in  a 
light  robe  of  whiteness,  burst  upwards  from  the  stone, 
stood,  glided  forth,  and  gleamed  away  towards  the  woods. 
For  I  followed  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  as  soon  as  the 
amazement  and  concentration  of  delight  permitted  the 
nerves  of  motion  again  to  act,  and  saw  the  white  form 
amidst  the  trees,  as  it  crossed  a  little  glade  on  the  edge  of 
the  forest  where  the  sunlight  fell  full,  seeming  to  gather 
with  intenser  radiance  on  the  one  object  that  floated  rather 


60  PHANTASTES : 

than  flitted  through  its  lake  of  beams,  I  gazed  after  her 
in  a  kind  of  despair  ;  found,  freed,  lost !  It  seemed  useless 
to  follow,  yet  follow  I  must.  I  marked  the  direction  she 
took  ;  and,  without  once  looking  round  to  the  forsaken  cave, 
I  hastened  towards  the  forest. 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  61 


VL 


Ach,  hiite  sich  doch  ein  Mensch,  vrenn  seine  erfiillten  Wiinsche  auf 
ihn  herad  regnen,  und  er  so  iiber  alle  Maasse  frohlich  ist !  —  Pouque, 
Der  Zauberring. 

Ah,  let  a  man  beware,  when  his  wishes,  fulfilled,  rain  down  upon  him, 
and  his  happiness  is  unbounded. 


Thy  red  lips,  like  worms, 
Travel  over  my  cheek. 

Motherwell  (  ?) 

But,  as  I  crossed  the  space  between  the  foot  of  the  hill 
and  the  forest,  a  vision  of  another  kind  delayed  my  steps. 
Through  an  opening  to  the  westward  flowed,  like  a  stream, 
the  rays  of  the  setting  sun,  and  overflowed  with  a  ruddy 
splendor  the  open  place  where  I  was.  And,  riding  as  it 
were  down  this  stream  towards  me,  came  a  horseman,  in 
what  appeared  red  armor.  From  frontlet  to  tail,  the  horse 
likewise  shone  red  in  the  sunset.  I  felt  as  if  I  must  have 
seen  the  knight  before ;  but,  as  he  drew  near,  I  could  recall 
no  feature  of  his  countenance.  Ere  he  came  up  to  me, 
however,  I  remembered  the  legend  of  Sir  Percival  in  the 
rusty  armor,  which  I  had  left  unfinished  in  the  old  book  in 
the  cottage :  it  was  of  Sir  Percival  that  he  reminded  me. 
And  no  wonder ;  for  when  he  came  close  up  to  me,  I  saw 


62  PHANTASTES : 

that,  from  crest  to  heel,  the  whole  surface  of  his  armor  was 
covered  with  a  light  rust.  The  golden  spurs  shone,  but 
the  iron  greaves  glowed  in  the  sunlight.  The  morning 
star,  which  hung  from  his  wrist,  glittered  and  glowed  with 
its  silver  and  bronze.  His  whole  appearance  was  terrible ; 
but  his  face  did  not  answer  to  this  appearance.  It  was 
sad,  even  to  gloominess,  and  something  of  shame  seemed 
to  cover  it.  Yet  it  was  noble  and  high,  though  thus  be- 
clouded; and  the  form  looked  loftj,  although  the  head 
drooped,  and  the  whole  frame  was  bowed  as  with  an  inward 
grief.  The  horse  seemed  to  share  in  his  master's  dejection, 
and  walked  spiritless  and  slow.  I  noticed,  too,  that  the 
white  plume  on  his  helmet  was  discolored  and  drooping. 
"He  has  fallen  in  a  joust  with  spears,"  I  said  to  myself; 
"yet  it  becomes  not  a  noble  knight  to  be  conquered  in 
spirit  because  his  body  hath  fallen,"  He  appeared  not  to 
obserA'^e  me,  for  he  was  riding  past  without  looking  up,  and 
started  into  a  warlike  attitude  the  moment  the  first  sound 
of  my  voice  reached  him.  Then  a  flush,  as  of  shame,  cov- 
ered all  of  his  face  that  the  lifted  beaver  disclosed.  Pie 
returned  my  greeting  with  distant  courtesy,  and  passed  on. 
But  suddenly  he  reined  up,  sat  a  moment  still,  and  then 
turning  his  horse,  rode  back  to  where  I  stood  looking  after 
him, 

"  I  am  ashamed,"  he  said,  "to  appear  a  knight,  and  in 
such  a  guise ;  but  it  behoves  me  to  tell  you  to  take  warn- 
ing from  me,  lest  the  same  evil,  in  his  kind,  overtake  the 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  63 

singer  that  has  befallen  the  knight.  Hast  thou  ever  read 
the  story  of  Sir  Percival  and  the  ' '  —  here  he  shuddered, 
that  his  armor  rang  —  "  Maiden  of  the  Alder- tree  ?  " 

"In  part,  I  have."  said  I,  "  for  yesterday,  at  the  en- 
trance of  this  forest,  I  found  in  a  cottage  the  volume 
wherein  it  is  recorded." 

"Then  take  heed,"  he  rejoined;  "for,  see  my  armor; 
—  I  put  it  off;  and  as  it  befell  to  him,  so  has  it  befallen  to 
me.  I  that  "was  proud  am  humble  now.  Yet  is  she 
terribly  beautiful,  —  beware  !  Never,"  he  added,  raising 
his  head,  "shall  this  armor  be  furbished,  but  by  the  blows 
of  knightly  encounter,  until  the  last  speck  has  disappeared 
from  every  spot  where  the  battle-axe  and  sword  of  evil- 
doers, or  noble  foes,  might  fall,  when  I  shall  again  lift  my 
head,  and  say  to  my  squire,  '  Do  thy  duty  pnee  more,  and 
make  this  armor  shine.'  " 

Before  I  could  inquire  further,  he  had  struck  spurs  into 
his  horse  and  galloped  away,  shrouded  from  my  voice  in 
the  noise  of  his  armor.  For  I  called  after  him,  anxious  to 
know  more  about  this  fearful  enchantress ;  but  in  vain  , — 
he  heard  me  not.  "Yet,"  I  said  to  myself,  "  I  have  now 
been  often  w".rned ;  surely  I  shall  be  well  on  my  guard, 
and  I  am  fully  resolved  I  shall  not  be  ensnared  by  any 
beauty,  however  beautiful.  Doubtless,  some  one  man 
may  escape,  and  I  shall  be  he."  So  I  went  on  into  the 
wood,  still  hoping  to  find,  in  some  one  of  its  mysterious 
recesses,  my  lost  lady  of  the  marble.     The  sunny  afternoon 


64  PHANTASIES  : 

died  into  the  loveliest  twilight.  Great  bats  began  to  flit 
about  with  their  own  noiseless  flight,  seemingly  purposeless, 
because  its  objects  are  unseen.  The  monotonous  music  of 
the  owl  issued  from  all  unexpected  quarters  in  the  half- 
darkness  around  me.  The  glowworm  was  alight  here  and 
there,  burning  out  into  the  great  universe.  The  night- 
hawk  heightened  all  the  harmony  and  stillness  with  his  oft- 
recurring  discordant  jar.  Numberless  unknown  sounds 
came  out  of  the  unknown  dusk ;  but  all  were  of  twilight 
kind,  oppressing  the  heart  as  with  a  condensed  atmosphere 
of  dreamy,  ucdefined  love  and  longing.  The  odors  of  night 
arose,  and  bathed  me  in  that  luxurious  mournfulness  pecu- 
liar to  them,  as  if  the  plants  whence  they  floated  had 
been  watered  with  bygone  tears.  Earth  drew  me  towards 
her  bosom ;  I  felt  as  if  I  could  fall  down  and  kiss  her.  I 
forgot  I  was  in  Fairy-land,  and  seemed  to  be  walking  in  a 
perfect  night  of  our  own  old  nursing  earth.  Great  stems 
rose  about  me,  uplifting  a  thick,  multitudinous  roof  above 
me  of  branches,  and  twigs,  and  leaves,  —  the  bird  and 
insect  world  uplifted  over  mine,  with  its  own  landscapes, 
its  own  thickets,  and  paths,  and  glades,  and  dwellings ;  its 
own  bird-ways  and  insect-delights.  Great  boughs  crossed 
my  path ;  great  roots  based  the  tree-columns,  and  mightily 
clasped  the  earth,  strong  to  lift  and  strong  to  uphold.  It 
seemed  an  old,  old  forest,  perfect  in  forest  ways  and  pleas- 
ures. And  when,  in  the  midst  of  this  ecstasy,  I  remem- 
bered that   under  some  close  canopy  of  leaves,  by  some 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  65 

giant  stem,  or  in  some  mossy  cave,  or  beside  some  leafy 
well,  sat  the  lady  of  the  marble,  whom  my  songs  had  called 
forth  into  the  outer  world,  waiting  (might  it  not  be  ?  )  to 
meet  and  thank  her  deliverer  in  a  twilight  which  would 
veil  her  confusion,  the  whole  night  became  one  dream- 
realm  of  joy,  the  central  form  of  which  was  everywhere 
present,  although  unbeheld.  Then,  remembering  how  my 
songs  seemed  to  have  called  her  from  the  marble,  piercing 
through  the  pearly  shroud  of  alabaster, —  "Why,"  thought 
I,  "should  not  my  voice  reach  her  now,  through  the  ebon 
night  that  enwraps  her?"  My  voice  burst  into  song  so 
spontaneously  that  it  seemed  involuntarily  :  — 

"  Not  a  sound 
But,  echoing  in  me, 
'  Vibrates  all  around 

With  a  blind  delight, 
Till  it  breaks  on  thee, 

Queen  of  Night ! 

"  Every  tree, 
O'ershadowing  with  gloom, 

Seems  to  cover  thee 

Secret,  dark,  love-stilled, 
In  a  holy  room 

Silence-filled. 

"  Let  no  moon 

Creep  up  the  heaven  to-night. 

I  in  darksome  noon. 

Walking  hopefully, 
Seek  my  shrouded  light,  — • 

Grope  for  thee ! 


66  PHANTASIES : 

"Darker  gro-w 
The  borders  of  the  dark  I 

Through  the  branches  glow ! 

Prom  the  roof  above, 
Star  and  diamond-spark, 

Light  for  love." 


Scarcely  had  the  last  sounds  floated  away  from  the  hear- 
ing of  my  own  ears,  when  I  heard  instead  a  low,  delicious 
laugh  near  me.  It  was  not  the  laugh  of  one  who  would 
not  be  heard,  but  the  laugh  of  one  who  has  just  received 
something  long  and  patiently  desired,  —  a  laugh  that  ends, 
in  a  low,  musical  moan.  I  started,  and,  turning  sideways, 
saw  a  dim,  white  figure  seated  beside  an  intertwining 
thicket  of  smaller  trees  and  underwood. 

"  It  is  my  white  lady  !  "  I  said,  and  flung  myself  on  the 
ground  beside  her ;  striving,  through  the  gathering  dark- 
ness, to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  form  which  had  broken  its 
marble  prison  at  my  call. 

"It  is  your  white  lady,"  said  the  sweetest  voice,  in  re- 
ply, sending  a  thrill  of  speechless  delight  through  a  heart 
which  all  the  love-charms  of  the  preceding  day  and  evening 
had  been  tempering  for  this  culminating  hour.  Yet,  if  I 
would  have  confessed  it,  there  was  something  either  in  the 
sound  of  the  voice,  although  it  seemed  sweetness  itself,  or 
else  in  this  yielding  which  awaited  no  gradation  of  gentle 
approaches,  that  did  not  vibrate  harmoniously  with  the  beat 
of  my  inward  music.      And   likewise,  when,   taking   her 


A   FAEKIE    ROMANCE.  67 

.  hand  in  mine,  I  drew  closer  to  her,  looking  for  the  beauty 
of  her  face,  which,  indeed,  I  found  too  plenteously,  a  cold 
shiver  ran  through  me  ;  but  "  It  is  the  marble,"  I  said  to 
myself,  and  heeded  it  not. 

She  withdrew  her  hand  from  mine,  and  after  that  would 
scarce  allow  me  to  touch  her.  It  seemed  strange,  after  the 
fulness  of  her  first  greeting,  that  she  could  not  trust  me 
to  come  close  to  her.     Thousih  her  words  were  those  of  a 

o 

lover,  she  kept  herself  withdrawn  as  if  a  mile  of  space  in- 
terposed between  us. 

"  Why  did  you  run  away  from  me  when  you  woke  in 
the  cave?  "  I  said. 

"Did  I?"  she  returned.  "That  was  very  unkind  of 
me ;  but  I  did  not  know  better." 

"  I  wish  I  could  see  you.     The  night  is  very  dark." 

"  So  it  is.     Come  to  my  grotto.     There  is  light  there." 

"  Have  you  another  cave,  then  ?  " 

"  Come  and  see."' 

But  she  did  not  move  until  I  rose  first,  and  then  she  was 
on  her  feet  before  I  could  offer  my  hand  to  help  her.  She 
came  close  to  my  side  and  conducted  me  through  the  wood. 
But  once  or  twice,  when,  involuntarily  almost,  I  was  about 
to  put  my  arm  around  her  as  we  walked  on  through  the 
warm  gloom,  she  sprang  away  several  paces,  always  keeping 
her  face  full  towards  me,  and  then  stood  looking  at  me, 
slightly  stooping,  in  the  attitude  of  one  who  fears  some 
half-seen  enemy.     It  was  too  dark  to  discern  the  expres- 


68  PHANTASIES : 

sion  of  her  face.  Then  she  would  return  and  walk  close 
beside  me  again,  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  I  thought, 
this  strange ;  but,  besides  that  I  had  almost,  as  I  said 
before,  given  up  the  attempt  to  account  for  appearances 
in  Fairy-land,  I  judged  that  it  would  be  very  unfair  to 
expect  from  one  who  had  slept  so  long  and  had  been  so 
suddenly  awakened,  a  behavior  correspondent  to  what  I 
might  unreflectingly  look  for.  I  knew  not  what  she  might 
have  been  dreaming  about.  Besides,  it  was  possible  that, 
while  her  words  were  free,  her  sense  of  touch  might  be 
exquisitely  delicate. 

At  length,  after  walking  a  long  way  in  the  woods,  we 
arrived  at  another  thicket,  through  the  intertexture  of 
which  was  glimmering  a  pale,  rosy  light. 

"Push  aside  the  branches,"  she  said,  "and  make  room 
for  us  to  enter." 

I  did  as  she  told  me. 

"  Go  in,"  she  said;  "  I  will  follow  you." 

I  did  as  she  desired,  and  found  myself  in  a  little  cave, 
not  very  unlike  the  marble  cave.  It  was  festooned  and 
draperied  with  all  kinds  of  green  that  cling  to  shady  rocks. 
In  the  farthest  corner,  half  hidden  in  leaves,  through  which 
it  glowed,  mingling  lovely  shadows  between  them,  burned  a 
bright,  rosy  flame  on  a  little  earthen  lamp.  The  lady 
glided  round  by  the  wall  from  behind  me,  still  keeping  her 
face  towards  me,  and  seated  herself  in  the  farthest  corner, 
with  her  back  to  the  lamp,  which  she  hid  completely  from 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  69 

my  view.  I  then  saw  indeed  a  form  of  perfect  loveliness 
•before  me.  Almost  it  seemed  as  if  the  light  of  the  rose 
lamp  shone  through  her  (for  it  could  not  be  reflected  from 
her),  such  a  delicate  shade  of  pink  seemed  to  shadow  what 
in  itself  must  be  a  marbly  whiteness  of  hue.  I  discovered 
afterwards,  however,  that  there  was  one  thing  in  it  I  did 
not  like  ;  which  was,  that  the  white  part  of  the  eye  was 
tinged  with  the  same  slight  roseate  hue  as  the  rest  of  the 
form.  It  is  strange  that  I  cannot  recall  her  features  ;  but 
they,  as  well  as  her  somewhat  girlish  figure,  left  on  me 
simply  and  only  the  impression  of  intense  loveliness.  I 
lay  down  at  her  feet,  and  gazed  up  into  her  face  as  I  lay. 

She  began  and  told  me  a  strange  tale,  which,  likewise, 
I  cannot  recollect,  but  which,  at  every  turn  and  every 
pause,,  somehow  or  other  fixed  my  eyes  an4  thoughts  upon 
her  extreme  beauty,  seeming  always  to  culminate  in 
something  that  had  a  relation,  revealed  or  hidden,  but 
always  operative,  with  her  own  loveliness.  I  lay  entranced. 
It  was  a  tale  which  brings  back  a  feeling  as  of  snows  and 
tempests ;  torrents  and  water-sprites ;  lovers  parted  for 
long,  and  meeting  at  last ;  with  a  gorgeous  summer  night 
to  close  up  the  whole.  I  listened  till  she  and  I  were 
blended  with  the  tale,  till  she  and  I  were  the  whole  history. 
And  we  had  met  at  last  in  this  same  cave  of  greenery, 
while  the  summer  night  hung  round  us  heavy  with  love, 
and  the  odors  that  crept  through  the  silence  from  the  sleep- 
ing woods  were  the  only  signs  of  an  outer  world  that  in- 


70  PHANTASTES : 

vaded  our  solitude.  What  followed  I  cannot  clearly 
remember.  The  succeeding  horror  almost  obliterated  it. 
I  woke  as  a  gray  dawn  stole  into  the  cave.  The  damsel 
had  disappeared  ;  but,  in  the  shrubbery  at  the  mouth  of  the 
cave,  stood  a  strange,  horrible  object.  It  looked  like  an 
open  coffin  set  up  on  one  end,  only  that  the  part  for  the 
head  and  neck  was  defined  from  the  shoulder-part.  In 
fact  it  was  a  rough  representation  of  the  human  frame,  only 
hollow,  as  if  made  of  decaying  bark  torn  from  a  tree.  It 
had  arms,  which  were  only  slightly  seamed,  down  from  the 
shoulder-blade  by  the  elbow,  as  if  the  bark  had  healed  again 
from  the  cut  of  a  knife.  But  the  arms  moved,  and  the 
hands  and  fingers  were  tearing  asunder  a  long,  silky  tress 
of  hair.  The  thins'  turned  round ;  it  had  for  a  face  and 
front  those  of  my  enchantress,  but  now  of  a  pale  greenish 
hue  in  the  light  of  the  morning,  and  with  dead,  lustreless 
eyes.  In  the  horror  of  the  moment,  another  fear  invaded 
me.  I  put  my  hand  to  my  waist,  and  found  indeed  that 
my  girdle  of  beech-leaves  was  gone.  Hair  again  in  her 
hands,  she  was  tearing  it  fiercely.  Once  more,  as  she 
turned,  she  laughed  a  low  laugh,  but  now  full  of  scorn  and 
derision;  and  then  she  said,  as  if  to  a  companion  with 
whom  she  had  been  talking  while  I  slept,  "There  he  is; 
you  can  take  him  now."  I  lay  still,  petrified  with  dismay 
and  fear ;  for  I  now  saw  another  figure  beside  her,  which,  al- 
though vague  and  indistinct,  I  yet  recognized  but  too  well. 
It  was  the  Ash-tree.     My  beauty  was   the   Maid  of  the 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  71 

Alder  !  and  she  was  giving  me,  spoiled  of  mj  only  availing 
defence,  into  the  hands  of  my  awful  foe.  The  Ash  bent 
his  gorgon-head,  and  entered  the  cave.  I  could  not  stir. 
He  drew  near  me.  His  ghoul-eyes  and  his  ghastly  face 
fascinated  me.  He  came  stooping,  with  the  hideous  hand 
outstretched,  like  a  beast  of  prey.  I  had  given  myself  up 
to  a  death  of  unfathomable  horror,  when,  suddenly,  and 
just  as  he  was  on  the  point  of  seizing  me,  the  dull,  heavy 
blow  of  an  axe  echoed  through  the  wood,  followed  by  othera 
in  quick  repetition.  The  Ash  shuddered  and  groaned, 
withdrew  the  outstretched  hand,  retreated  backwards  to  the 
mouth  of  the  cave,  then  turned  and  disappeared  amongst 
the  trees.  The  other  walking  Death  looked  at  me  once, 
with  a  careless  dislike  on  her  beautifully  moulded  features ; 
then,  heedless  any  more  to  conceal  her  hollow  deformity, 
turned  her  frightful  back  and  likewise  vanished  amid  the 
green  obscurity  without.  I  lay  and  wept.  The  Maid  of 
the  Alder-tree  had  befooled  me,  —  nearly  slain  me,  —  in 
spite  of  all  the  warnings  I  had  received  from  those  who 
knew  my  danger. 


72  PHANTASTES  : 


YIL 

Fight  on,  my  men,  Sir  Andrew  sayes, 

A  little  Ime  hurt,  but  yett  not  slaine ; 
lie  but  lye  downe  and  bleede  awhile, 

And  then  He  rise  and  fight  againe. 

Ballad  of  Sir  Andrew  Barton. 

But  I  could  not  remain  where  I  was  any  longer,  though 
the  daylight  was  hateful  to  me,  and  the  thought  of  the 
great,  innocent,  bold  sunrise  unendurable.  Here  there 
was  no  well  to  cool  my  face,  smarting  with  the  bitterness 
of  my  own  tears.  Nor  would  I  have  washed  in  the  well 
of  that  grotto,  had  it  flowed  clear  as  the  rivers  of  Paradise. 
I  rose,  and  feebly  left  the  sepulchral  cave.  I  took  my 
way  I  knew  not  whither,  but  still  towards  the  sunrise. 
The  birds  were  singing,  but  not  for  me.  All  the  creatures 
spoke  a  language  of  their  own,  with  which  I  had  nothing 
to  do,  and  to  which  I  cared  not  to  find  the  key  any  more. 
I  walked  listlessly  along.  What  distressed  me  most  — 
more  even  than  my  own  folly  —  was  the  perplexing  ques- 
tion, How  can  beauty  and  ugliness  dwell  so  near  ?  Even 
with  her  altered  complexion  and  her  face  of  dislike  ;  disen- 
chanted of  the  belief  that  clung  around  her ;  known  for  a 
living,  walking  sepulchre,  faithless,  deluding,  traitorous,  — 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  73 

I  felt,  notwithstanding  all  this,  that  she  was  beautiful. 
Upon  this  I  pondered  with  undiminished  perplexity,  though 
not  without  some  gain.  Then  I  began  to  make  surmises  as 
to  the  mode  of  my  deliverance,  and  concluded  that  some 
hero,  wandering  in  search  of  adventure,  had  heard  how  the 
forest  was  infested,  and,  knowing  it  was  useless  to  attack 
the  evil  thing  in  person,  had  assailed  with  his  battle-axe 
the  body  in  which  he  dwelt,  and  on  which  he  was  depend- 
ent for  his  power  of  mischief  in  the  wood.  "  Very  likely," 
I  thought,  "the  repentant  knight,  who  warned  me  of  the 
evil  which  has  befallen  me,  was  busy  retrieving  his  lost 
honor,  while  I  was  sinking  into  the  same  sorrow  with  him- 
self; and,  hearing  of  the  dangerous  and  mysterious  being, 
arrived  at  his  tree  in  time  to  save  me  from  being  dragged 
to  its  roots,  and  buried  like  carrion,  to  nourish  him  for  yet 
deeper  insatiableness."  I  found  afterwards  that  my  con- 
jecture was  correct.  I  wondered  how  he  had  fared  when 
his  blows  recalled  the  Ash  himself,  and  that,  too,  I  learned 
afterwards. 

I  walked  on  the  whole  day  with  intervals  of  rest,  but 
without  food,  —  for  I  could  not  have  eaten,  had  any  been 
ofiered  me,  — till,  in  the  afternoon,  I  seemed  to  approach  the 
outskirts  of  the  forest,  and  at  length  arrived  at  a  farm- 
house. An  unspeakable  joy  arose  in  my  heart  at  behold- 
ing an  abode  of  human  beings  once  more,  and  I  hastened 
up  to  the  door,  and  knocked.  A  kind-looking,  matronly 
woman,  still  handsome,   made   her  appearance;    who,    as 


74  PHANTASIES : 

soon  as  she  saw  me,  said  kindly,  "Ah,  my  poor  boy,  you 
have  come  from  the  wood  !     Were  you  in  it  last  night?  " 

I  should  have  ill  endured,  the  day  before,  to  be  called 
hoy  ;  but  now  the  motherly  kindness  of  the  word  went  to 
my  heart ;  and,  like  a  boy  indeed,  I  burst  into  tears.  She 
soothed  me  right  gently;  and,  leading  me  into  a  room, 
made  me  lie  down  on  a  settle,  while  she  went  to  find  me 
some  refreshment.  She  soon  returned  with  food ;  but  I 
could  not  eat.  She  almost  compelled  me  to  swallow  some 
wine,  when  I  revived  sufficiently  to  be  able  to  answer  some 
of  her  questions.     I  told  her  the  whole  story. 

"  It  is  just  as  I  feared,"  she  said  ;  "  but  you  are  now 
for  the  night  beyond  the  reach  of  any  of  these  dreadful 
creatures.  It  is  no  wonder  that  they  could  delude  a  child 
like  you.  But  I  must  beg  you,  when  my  husband  comes 
in,  not  to  say  a  word  about  these  things ;  for  he  thinks  me 
even  half  crazy  for  believing  anything  of  the  sort.  But  I 
must  believe  my  senses,  as  he  cannot  believe  beyond  his, 
which  give  him  no  intimations  of  this  kind.  I  think  he 
could  spend  the  whole  of  Midsummer-eve  in  the  wood,  and 
come  back  with  the  report  that  he  saw  nothing  worse  than 
himself  Indeed,  good  man,  he  would  hardly  find  anything 
better  than  himself,  if  he  had  seven  more  senses  given  him." 

"  But  tell  me  how  it  is  that  she  could  be  so  beautiful 
without  any  heart  at  all,  —  without  any  place  even  for  a 
heart  to  live  in." 

"I  cannot  quite  tell,"  she  said;   "but  I  am  sure  she 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  77 

would  not  look  so  beautiful  if  she  did  not  take  means  to 
make  herself  look  more  beautiful  than  she  is.  And  then, 
you  know,  you  began  by  being  in  love  with  her  before  you 
saw  her  beauty,  mistaking  her  for  the  lady  of  the  marble, 
—  another  kind  altogether,  I  should  think.  But  the  chief 
thing  that  makes  her  beautiful  is  this  :  that,  although  she 
loves  no  man,  she  loves  the  love  of  any  man ;  and  when 
she  finds  one  in  her  power,  her  desire  to  bewitch  him  and 
gain  his  love  (not  for  the  sake  of  his  love  either,  but  that 
she  may  be  conscious  anew  of  her  own  beauty,  through  the 
admiration  he  manifests)  makes  her  very  lovely,  —  with  a 
self-destructive  beauty,  though ;  for  it  is  that  which  is  con- 
stantly wearing  her  away  within,  till,  at  last,  the  decay  will 
reach  her  face,  and  her  whole  front,  when  all  the  lovely 
mask  of  nothing  will  fall  to  pieces,  and  she  be  vanished 
forever.  So  a  wise  man,  whom  she  met  in  the  wood  some 
years  ago,  and  who,  I  think,  for  all  his  wisdom,  fared  no 
better  than  you,  told  me,  when,  like  you,  he  spent  the  next 
night  here,  and  recounted  to  me  his  adventures." 

I  thanked  her  very  warmly  for  her  solution,  though  it 
was  but  partial;  wondering  much  that  in  her,  as  in  the 
woman  I  met  on  my  first  entering  the  forest,  there  should 
be  such  superiority  to  her  apparent  condition.  Here  she 
left  me  to  take  some  rest;  though,  indeed,  I  was  too  much 
agitated  to  rest  in  any  other  way  than  by  simply  ceasing 
to  move. 

In  half  an.  hour  I  heard  a  heavy  step  approach  and 


74 


PHANTASTES : 


enter  the  house.  A  jolly  voice,  whose  slight  huskiness 
appeared  to  proceed  from  overmuch  laughter,  called  out, 
"Betsy,  the  pigs'  trough  is  quite  empty,  and  that  is  a 
pity.  Let  them  swill,  lass.  They're  of  no  use  but  to  get 
fat.  Ha!  ha!  ha!  Gluttony  is  not  forbidden  in  their 
commandments.  Ha!  ha!  ha!"  The  very  voice,  kind 
and  jovial,  seemed  to  disrobe  the  room  of  the  strange  look 
which  all  new  places  wear,  —  to  disenchant  it  out  of  the 
realm  of  the  ideal  into  the  actual.  It  began  to  look  as  if 
I  had  known  every  corner  of  it  for  twenty  years ;  and 
when,  soon  after,  the  dame  came  and  fetched  me  to  partake 
of  their  early  supper,  the  grasp  of  his  great  hand,  and  the 
harvest  moon  of  his  benevolent  face,  which  was  needed  to 
light  up  the  rotundity  of  the  globe  beneath  it,  produced 
such  a  reaction  in  me,  that,  for  a  moment,  I  could  hardly 
believe  that  there  was  a  Fairy-land ;  and  that  all  I  had 
passed  through,  since  I  left  home,  had  not  been  the  wander- . 
ing  dream  of  a  diseased  imagination,  operating  on  a  too 
mobile  frame,  not  merely  causing  me  indeed  to  travel,  but 
peopling  for  me  with  vague  phantoms  the  regions  through 
which  my  actual  steps  had  led  me.  But  the  next  moment 
my  eye  fell  upon  a  little  girl  who  was  sitting  in  the  chim- 
ney-corner, with  a  little  book  open  on  her  knee,  from  which 
she  had  apparently  just  looked  up,  to  fix  great,  inquiring 
eyes  upon  me.  I  believed  in  Fairy-land  again.  She 
went  on  with  her  reading,  as  soon  as  she  saw  that  I  ob- 
served her  looking  at  me.     I  went  near,  and,  peeping  over 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  77 

her  shoulder,  sa\7  that  she  was  reading  ' '  The  History  of 
Graciosa  and  Percinet." 

"Very  improving  book,  sir,"  remarked  the  old  farmer, 
with  a  good-humored  laugh.  "  We  are  in  the  very  hottest 
corner  of  Fairy-land  here.  Ha !  ha  !  Stormy  night  last 
night,  sir." 

"Was  it,  indeed?"  I  rejoined.  "It  was  not  so  with 
me.     A  lovelier  night  I  never  saw." 

"  Indeed!     Where  were  you  last  night  ?  " 

"  I  spent  it  in  the  forest.     I  had  lost  my  way." 

"  Ah  !  then,  perhaps  you  will  be  able  to  convince  my 
good  woman  that  there  is  nothing  very  remarkable  about 
the  forest;  for,  to  tell  the  truth,  it  bears  but  a  bad  name 
in  these  parts.  I  dare  say  you  saw  nothing  worse  than 
yourself  there  ?  " 

"I  hope  I  did,"  was  my  inward  reply;  but,  for  an 
audible  one,  I  contented  myself  with  saying,  "Why,  I 
certainly  did  see  some  appearances  I  could  hardly  account 
for ;  but  that  is  nothing  to  be  wondered  at  in  an  unknown 
wild  forest,  and  with  the  uncertain  light  of  the  moon  alone 
to  go  by." 

' '  Very  true  !  you  speak  like  a  sensible  man,  sir.  We 
have  but  few  sensible  folks  round  about  us.  Now,  you 
would  hardly  credit  it.  but  my  wife  believes  every  fairy 
tale  that  ever  was  written.  I  cannot  account  for  it.  She 
is  a  most  sensible  woman  in  everything  else." 

"  But  should  not  that  make  you  treat  her  belief  with 


78  PHANTASTES : 

something  of  respect,  though  you  cannot  share  in  it  your- 
self?" 

"  Yes,  that  is  all  very  well  in  theory :  but  when  you 
come  to  live  every  day  in  the  midst  of  absurdity,  it  is  far 
less  easy  to  behave  respectfully  to  it.  Why,  my  wife  act- 
ually believes  the  story  of  the  '  White  Cat.'  You  know 
it,  I  dare  say." 

"  I  read  all  these  tales  when  a  child,  and  know  that  one 
especially  well." 

"  But,  father,"  interposed  the  little  girl  in  the  chimney- 
corner,  "you  know  quite  well  that  mother  is  descended 
from  that  very  princess  who  was  changed  by  the  wicked 
fairy  into  a  white  cat.  Mother  has  told  me  so  a  many 
times,  and  you  ought  to  believe  everything  she  says." 

"I  can  easily  believe  that,"  rejoined  the  farmer,  with 
another  fit  of  laughter;  "for,  the  other  night,  a  mouse 
came  gnawing  and  scratching  beneath  the  floor,  and  would 
not  let  us  go  to  sleep.  Your  mother  sprang  out  of  bed, 
and,  going  as  near  it  as  she  could,  mewed  so  infernally  like 
a  great  cat,  that  the  noise  ceased  instantly.  I  believe  the 
poor  mouse  died  of  the  fright,  for  we  have  never  heard  it 
again.     Ha  !  ha  !  ha  !  " 

The  son,  an  ill-looking  youth,  who  had  entered  during 
the  conversation,  joined  in  his  father's  laugh ;  but  his 
laugh  was  very  different  from  the  old  man's, —  it  was  polluted 
with  a  sneer.  I  watched  him,  and  saw  that,  as  soon  as  it 
was  over,  he  looked  scared,  as  if  he  di-eaded  some  evil  con- 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  79 

sequences  to  follow  his  presumption.  The  woman  stood 
near,  waiting  till  we  should  seat  ourselves  at  the  table,  and 
listening  to  it  all  with  an  amused  air,  which  had  something 
in  it  of  the  look  with  which  one  listens  to  the  sententious 
remarks  of  a  pompous  child.  We  sat  down  to  supper  and 
I  ate  heartily.  Mj  bygone  distresses  began  already  to 
look  far  oflF. 

"In  what  direction  are  you  going?"  asked  the  old 
man. 

"  Eastward,"  I  replied;  nor  could  I  have  given  a  more 
definite  answer.  "  Does  the  forest  extend  much  further  in 
that  direction  ?  " 

"Oh!  for  miles  and  miles;  I  do  not  know  how  far; 
for,  although  I  have  lived  on  the  borders  of  it  all  my  life, 
I  have  been  too  busy  to  make  journeys  of  discovery  into  it. 
Nor  do  I  see  what  I  could  discover.  It  is  only  trees  and 
trees,  till  one  is  sick  of  them.  By  the  way,  if  you  follow 
the  eastward  track  from  here,  you  will  pass  close  to  what 
the  children  say  is  the  very  house  of  the  ogre  that  Hop-o'- 
my-Thumb  visited,  and  ate  his  little  daughters  with  the 
crowns  of  gold." 

"0  father!  ate  his  little  daughters!  No;  he  only 
changed  their  gold  crowns  for  nightcaps;  and  the  great, 
long-toothed  ogre  killed  them  in  mistake ;  but  I  do  not 
think  even  he  ate  them,  for  you  know  they  were  his  own 
little  ogresses." 

"  Well,  well,  child;  you  know  all  about  it  a  great  deal 


80  PHANTASTES : 

better  than  I  do.  However,  the  house  has,  of  course,  iu 
such  a  foolish  neighborhood  as  this,  a  bad  enough  name ; 
and  I  must  confess  there  is  a  woman  living  in  it,  with  teeth 
long  enough,  and  white  enough  too,  for  the  lineal  descendant 
of  the  greatest  ogre  that  ever  was  made.  I  think  jou  had 
better  not  go  near  her," 

In  such  talk  as  this  the  night  wore  on.  When  supper 
was  finished,  which  lasted  some  time,  mj  hostess  conducted 
me  to  mj  chamber. 

"If  you  had  not  had  enough  of  it  already,"  she  said, 
''  I  would  have  put  you  in  another  room,  which  looks  to- 
wards the  forest ;  and  where  you  would  most  likely  have 
seen  something  more  of  its  inhabitants.  For  they  fre- 
quently pass  the  window,  and  even  enter  the  room  some- 
times. Strange  creatures  spend  whole  nights  in  it  at  cer- 
tain seasons  of  the  year.  I  am  used  to  it,  and  do  not  mind 
it.  No  more  does  my  little  girl,  who  sleeps  in  it  always. 
But  this  room  looks  southward  towards  the  open  country, 
and  they  never  show  themselves  here ;  at  least  I  never  saw 
any." 

I  was  somewhat  sorry  not  to  gather  any  experience  that 
I  might  have  of  the  inhabitants  of  Fairy-land  ;  but  the 
effect  of  the  farmer's  company,  and  of  my  own  later  adven- 
tures, was  such,  thp,t  I  chose  rather  an  undisturbed  night 
in  my  more  human  quarters,  which,  with  their  clean, 
white  curtains  and  white  linen,  were  very  inviting  to  my 
weariness. 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  81 

In  the  morning,  I  awoke  refreshed,  after  a  profound  and 
dreamless  sleep.  The  sun  was  high  when  I  looked  out  of 
the  window,  shining  over  a  wide,  undulating,  cultivated 
country.  Various  garden  vegetables  were  growing  beneath 
my  window.  Everything  was  radiant  with  clear  sunlight. 
The  dew-drops  were  sparkling  their  busiest ;  the  cows  in  a 
near-by  field  were  eating  as  if  they  had  not  been  at  it  all 
day  yesterday;  the  maids  were  singing  at  their  work  as 
they  passed  to  and  fro  between  the  out-houses :  I  did  not 
believe  in  Fairy-land.  I  went  down,  and  found  the  family 
already  at  breakfast.  But  before  I  entered  the  room  where 
they  sat,  the  little  girl  came  to  me,  and  looked  up  in  my 
face,  as  though  she  wanted  to  say  something  to  me.  I 
stooped  towards  her;  she  put  her  arms  round  my  neck, 
and  her  mouth  to  my  ear,  and  whispered  :  — 

"  A  white  lady  has  been  flitting  about  the  house  all 
night." 

"  No  whispering  behind  doors  !  "  cried  the  farmer  ;  and 
we  entered  together.  "Well,  how  have  you  slept?  No 
bogies,  eh?  " 

"  Not  one,  thank  you ;  I  slept  uncommonly  well." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,  come  and  breakfast." 

After  breakfast  the  farmer  and  his  son  went  out,  and  I 
was  left  alone  with  the  mother  and  daughter. 

"  When  I  looked  out  of  the  window  this  morning,"  I 
said,  "  I  felt  almost  certain  that  Fairy -land  was  all  a  delu- 
sion of  my  brain  ;  but  whenever  I  come  near  you  or  your 


82  PH  AN  TASTES  : 

little  daughter  I  feel  diflferently.  Yet  I  could  persuade 
myself,  after  my  last  adventures,  to  go  back,  and  have 
nothing  more  to  do  with  such  strange  beings." 

"  How  will  you  go  back?  "  said  the  woman. 

"  Nay,  that  I  do  not  know." 

"  Because  I  have  heard,  that,  for  those  who  enter  Fairy- 
land, there  is  no  way  of  going  back.  They  must  go  on, 
and  go  through  it.     How,  I  do  not  in  the  least  know." 

"  That  is  quite  the  impression  on  my  own  mind.  Some- 
thing compels  me  to  go  on,  as  if  my  only  path  was  on- 
ward ;  but  I  feel  less  inclined  this  morning  to  continue  my 
adventures." 

"  Will  you  come  and  see  my  little  child's  room?  She 
sleeps  in  the  one  I  told  you  of,  looking  towards  the  forest." 

"  Willingly,"  I  said. 

So  we  went  together,  the  little  girl  running  before  to 
open  the  door  for  us.  It  was  a  large  room,  full  of  old- 
fashioned  furniture,  that  seemed  to  have  once  belonged  to 
some  great  house.  The  window  was  built  with  a  low  arch, 
and  filled  with  lozenge-shaped  panes.  The  wall  was  very 
thick,  and  built  of  soli^  stone.  I  could  see  that  part  of 
the  house  had  been  erected  against  the  remains  of  some  old 
castle  or  abbey,  or  other  great  building,  the  fallen  stones 
of  which  had  probably  served  to  complete  it.  But  as  soon 
as  I  looked  out  of  the  window,  a  gush  of  wonderment  and 
longing  flowed  over  my  soul  like  the  tide  of  a  great  sea. 
Pairy-land  lay  before  me,  and  drew  me  towards  it  with  an 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  83 

irresistible  attraction.  The  trees  bathed  their  great  heads 
in  the  waves  of  the  morning,  -while  their  roots  were  .planted 
deep  in  gloom ;  save  where  on  the  borders  the  sunshine 
broke  against  their  stems,  or  swept  in  long  streams  through 
their  avenues,  washing  with  brighter  hue  all  the  leaves 
over  which  it  flowed ,  revealing  the  rich  brown  of  the  de- 
cayed leaves  and  fallen  pine-cones,  and  the  delicate  greens 
of  the  long  grasses  and  tiny  forests  of  moss  that  covered  the 
channel  over  which  it  passed  in  motionless  rivers  of  light. 
I  turned  hurriedly  to  bid  my  hostess  farewell  without  fur- 
ther delay.  She  smiled  at  my  haste,  but  with  an  anxious 
look. 

"You  had  better  not  go  near  the  house  of  the  ogre,  I 
think.  My  son  will  show  you  into  another  path,  which 
will  join  the  first  beyond  it." 

Not  wishing  to  be  headstrong  or  too  confident  any  more, 
I  agreed,  and,  having  taken  leave  of  my  kind  entertainers, 
went  into  the  wood,  accompanied  by  the  youth.  He 
scarcely  spoke  as  we  went  along ;  but  he  led  me  through 
the  trees  till  we  struck  upon  a  path.  He  told  me  to  follow 
it,  and,  with  a  muttered  "  Good-morning,"  left  me. 


84  PHANTASTES : 


YIIL 

Ich  bin  ein  Thcil  des  Theils,  der  anfangs  alles  war. 

Goethe.  —  Mephistopheles  in  Faust. 
I  am  a  part  of  the  part,  which  at  first  was  the  whole. 

My  spirits  rose  as  I  went  deeper  into  the  forest ;  but  I 
could  not  regain  my  former  elasticity  of  mind.  I  found 
cheerfulness  to  be  like  life  itself, —  not  to  be  created  by 
any  argument.  Afterwards  I  learned  that  the  best  way 
to  manage  some  kinds  of  painful  thoughts  is  to  dare  them 
to  do  their  worst ;  to  let  them  lie  and  gnaw  at  your  heart 
till  they  are  tired ;  and  you  find  you  still  have  a  residue 
of  life  they  cannot  kill.  So,  better  and  worse,  I  went  on, 
till  I  came  to  a  little  clearing  in  the  forest.  In  the  middle 
of  this  clearing  stood  a  long,  low  hut,  built  with  one  end 
against  a  single  tall  cypress,  which  rose  like  a  spire  to  the 
building.  A  vague  misgiving  crossed  my  mind  when  I 
saw  it ;  but  I  must  needs  go  closer,  and  look  through  a 
little,  half-open  door,  near  the  opposite  end  from  the 
cypress.  Window  I  saw  none.  On  peeping  in,  and  look- 
ing towards  the  further  end,  I  saw  a  lamp  burning,  with  a 
dim  reddish  flame,  and  the  head  of  a  woman,  bent  down- 
wards, as  if  reading  by  its  light.  I  could  see  nothing 
more  for  a  few  moments.     At  length,  as  my  eyes  got  used 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  85 

to  the  dimness  of  the  place,  I  saw  that  the  part  of  the 
rude  building  near  me  was  used  for  household  purposes; 
for  several  rough  utensils  lay  here  and  there,  and  a  bed 
stood  in  the  corner.  An  irresistible  attraction  caused  me 
to  enter.  The  woman  never  raised  her  face,  the  upper 
part  of  which  alone  I  could  see  distinctly;  but,  as  soon 
as  I  stepped  within  the  threshold,  she  began  to  read  aloud, 
in  a  low  and  not  altogether  unpleasing  voice,  from  an 
ancient  little  volume,  which  she  held  open, with  one  hand 
on  the  table  upon  which  stood  the  lamp.  What  she  read 
was  something  like  this  :  — 

"  So,  then,  as  darkness  had  no  beginning,  neither  will 
it  ever  have  an  end.  So,  then,  is  it  eternal.  The  nega- 
tion of  aught  else  is  its  affirmation.  Where  the  light 
cannot  come  there  abideth  the  darkness.  The  light  doth 
but  hollow  a  mind  out  of  the  infinite  extension  of  the 
darkness.  And  ever  upon  the  steps  of  the  light  treadeth 
the  darkness ;  yea,  springeth  in  fountains  and  wells  amidst 
it,  from  the  secret  channels  of  its  mighty  sea.  Truly,  man 
is  but  a  passing  flame,  moving  unquietly  amid  the  sur- 
rounding rest  of  night,  without  which  he  yet  could  not 
be,  and  whereof  he  is  in  part  compounded." 

As  I  drew  nearer,  and  she  read  on,  she  moved  a  little 
to  turn  a  leaf  of  the  dark  old  volume,  and  I  saw  that  her 
face  was  sallow  and  slightly  forbidding.  Her  forehead  was 
high,  and  her  black  eyes  repressedly  quiet.  But  she  took 
no  notice  of  me.     This  end  of  the  cottage,  if  cottage  it 


86  PHANTASIES : 

could  be  called,  was  destitute  of  furniture,  except  the  table 
•with  the  lamp,  and  the  chair  on  which  the  woman  sat. 
In  one  corner  was  a  door,  apparently  of  a  cupboard  in  the 
wall,  but  which  might  lead  to  a  room  beyond.  Still  the 
irresistible  desire  which  had  made  me  enter  the  building 
urged  me  :  I  must  open  that  door,  and  see  what  was 
beyond  it.  I  approached,  and  laid  my  hand  on  the  rude 
latch.  Then  the  woman  spoke,  but  without  lifting  her 
head  or  looking  at  me:  "You  had  better  not  open  that 
door."  This  was  uttered  quite  quietly,  and  she  went  on 
with  her  reading,  partly  in  silence,  partly  aloud ;  but  both 
modes  seemed  equally  intended  for  herself  alone.  The 
prohibition,  however,  only  increased  my  desire  to  see, 
and,  as- she  took  no  further  notice,  I  gently  opened  the  door 
to  its  full  width,  and  looked  in.  At  first,  I  saw  nothing 
worthy  of  attention.  It  seemed  a  common  closet,  with 
shelves  on  each  hand,  on  which  stood  various  little  neces- 
saries for  the  humble  uses  of  a  cottage.  In  one  corner 
stood  one  or  two  brooms,  in  another  a  hatchet  and  other 
common  tools ;  showing  that  it  was  in  use  every  hour  of 
the  day  for  household  purposes.  But,  as  I  looked,  I  saw 
that  there  were  no  shelves  at  the  back,  and  that  an  empty 
space  went  in  further ;  its  termination  appearing  to  be  a 
faintly  glimmering  wall  or  curtain,  somewhat  less, 
however,  than  the  width  and  height  of  the  doorway  where 
I  stood.  But,  as  I  continued  looking,  for  a  few  seconds, 
towards   this  faintly  luminous  limit,   my  eyes   came   into 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  87 

true  relation  with  their  object.  All  at  once,  with  such  a 
shiver  as  when  one  is  suddenly  conscious  of  the  presence 
of  another  in  a  room  where  he  has,  for  hours,  considered 
himself  alone,  I  saw  that  the  seemingly  luminous  ex- 
tremity was  a  sky,  as  of  night,  beheld  through  the  long 
perspective  of  a  narrow,  dark  passage,  through  what,  or 
built  of  what,  I  could  not  tell.  As  I  gazed,  I  clearly 
discerned  two  or  three  stars  glimmering  faintly  in  the 
distant  blue.  But,  suddenly,  and  as  if  it  had  been  run- 
ning fast  from  a  far  distance  for  this  very  point,  and  had 
turned  the  corner  without  abating  its  swiftness,  a  dark 
figure  sped  into  and  along  the  passage  from  the  blue 
opening  at  the  remote  end.  I  started  back  and  shuddered, 
but  kept  looking,  for  I  could  not  help  it.  On  and  on  it 
came,  with  a  speedy  approach  but  delayed  arrival ;  till,  at 
last,  through  the  many  gradations  of  approach,  it  seemed 
to  come  within  the  sphere  of  myself,  rushed  up  to  me,  and 
passed  me  into  the  cottage.  All  I  could  tell  of  its  appear- 
ance was  that  it  seemed  to  be  a  dark  human  figure.  Its 
motion  was  entirely  noiseless,  and  might  be  called  a 
gliding,  were  it  not  that  it  appeared  that  of  a  runner,  but 
with  ghostly  feet.-  I  had  moved  back  yet  a  little  to  let 
him  pass  me,  and  looked  round  after  him  instantly.  I 
could  not  see  him. 

"Where  is  he?"  I  said,  in  some  alarm,  to  the  woman, 
who  still  sat  reading. 

"There,  on  the  floor,  behind  you,"  she  said,  pointing 


88  PHANTASIES  : 

with  her  arm  half-outstretched,  but  not  lifting  her  eyes. 
I  turned  and  looked,  but  saw  nothing.  Then,  with  a 
feeling  that  there  was  jet  something  behind  me,  I  looked 
around  over  my  shoulders  ;  and  there,  on  the  ground,  lay 
a  black  shadow,  the  size  of  a  man.  It  was  so  dark  that 
I  could  see  it  in  the  dim  light  of  the  lamp,  which  shone 
full  upon  it,  apparently  without  thinning  at  all  the  inten- 
sity of  its  hue. 

"  I  told  you,"  said  the  woman,  "  you  had  better  not  look 
into  that  closet." 

"  What  is  it?  "  I  said,  with  a  growing  sense  of  horror. 

"  It  is  only  your  shadow  that  has  found  you,"  she  re- 
plied. "  Everybody's  shadow  is  ranging  up  and  down 
looking  for  him.  I  believe  you  call  it  by  a  different  name 
in  your  world  :  yours  has  found  you,  as  every  person's  is 
almost  certain  to  do  who  looks  into  that  closet,  especially 
after  meeting  one  in  the  forest,  whom  I  dare  say  you  have 
met." 

Here,  for  the  first  time,  she  lifted  her  head,  and  looked 
full  at  me  :  her  mouth  was  full  of  long,  white,  shining 
teeth ;  and  I  knew  that  I  was  in  the  house  of  the  ogre. 
I  could  not  speak,  but  turned  and  left  the  house,  with  the 
shadow  at  my  heels.  "  A  nice  sort  of  valet  to  have,"  I 
said  to  myself  bitterly,  as  I  stepped  into  the  sunshine,  and, 
looking  over  my  shoulder,  saw  that  it  lay  yet  blacker  in 
the  full  blaze  of  the  sunlight.  Indeed,  only  when  I  stood 
between  it  and  the  sun  was  the  blackness  at  all  diminished. 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  89 

I  was  SO  bewildered —  stunned  —  both  by  the  event  itself 
and  its  suddenness,  that  I  could  not  at  all  realize  to  myself 
what  it  would  be  to  have  such  a  constant  and  strango 
attendance ;  but,  with  a  dim  conviction  that  my  present  dis- 
like would  soon  grow  to  loathing,  I  took  my  dreary  way 
through  the  wood. 


90  PHANTASTES : 


IX. 

0  lady !  we  receive  but  what  we  give, 
And  in  our  life  alone  does  nature  live : 
Oars  is  her  wedding  garment,  ours  her  shroud ! 

Ah !  from  the  soul  itself  must  issue  forth 
A  light,  a  glory,  a  fair  luminous  cloud, 

Enveloping  the  earth ; 
And  from  the  soul  itself  must  there  be  sent 

A  sweet  and  potent  voice,  of  its  own  birth, 
Of  all  sweet  sounds  the  life  and  element ! 

COLEHrDGE. 

From  this  time,  until  I  arrived  at  the  palace  of  Fairy- 
land, I  can  attempt  no  consecutive  account  of  my  wander- 
ings and  adventures.  Everything,  henceforward,  existed 
for  me  in  its  relation  to  my  attendant.  What  influence  he 
exercised  upon  everything  into  contact  with  which  I  was 
brought,  may  be  understood  from  a  few  detached  instances. 
To  begin  with  this  very  day  on  which  he  first  joined  me  : 
after  I  had  walked  heartlessly  along  for  two  or  three  hours, 
I  was  very  weary,  and  lay  down  to  rest  in  a  most  delightful 
part  of  the  forest,  carpeted  with  wild-flowers.  I  lay  for 
half  an  hour  in  a  dull  repose,  and  then  got  up  to  pursue 
my  way.     The  flowers  on  the  spot  where  I  had  lain  were 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  91 

crushed  to  the  earth ;  but  I  saw  that  they  would  soon  lift 
their  heads  and  rejoice  again  in  the  sun  and  air.  Not  so 
those  on  which  my  shadow  had  lain.  The  very  outline  of 
it  could  be  traced  in  the  withered,  lifeless  grass,  and  the 
scorched  and  shrivelled  flowers  which  stood  there,  dead, 
and  hopeless  of  any  resurrection.  I  shuddered,  and  hast- 
ened away  with  sad  forebodings. 

In  a  few  days  I  had  reason  to  dread  an  extension  of  its 
baleful  influences,  from  the  fact  that  it  was  no  longer  con- 
fined to  one  position  in  regard  to  myself  Hitherto,  when 
seized  with  an  irresistible  desire  to  look  on  my  evil  demon 
(which  longing  would  unaccountably  seize  me  at  any 
moment,  returning  at  longer  or  shorter  intervals,  some- 
times every  minute),  I  had  to  turn  my  head  backwards, 
and  look  over  my  shoulder  ;  in  which  position,  as  long  as  I 
could  retain  it,  I  was  fascinated.  But  one  day,  having 
come  out  on  a  clear,  grassy  hill,  which  commanded  a 
glorious  prospect,  —  though  of  what  I  cannot  now  tell,  — 
my  shadow  moved  round,  and  came  in  front  of  me.  And, 
presently,  a  new  manifestation  increased  my  distress;  for 
it  began  to  coruscate,  and  shoot  out  on  all  sides  a  radiation 
of  dim  shadow.  These  rays  of  gloom  issued  from  the 
central  shadow  as  from  a  black  sun,  lengthening  and 
shortening  with  continual  change.  But  wherever  a  ray 
struck,  that  part  of  earth,  or  sea,  or  sky,  became  void,  and 
desert,  and  sad  to  my  heart.  On  this,  the  first  develop- 
ment of  its  new  power,  one  ray  shot  out  beyond  the  rest, 


92  PHANTASIES: 

seeming  to  lengthen  infinitely,  until  it  smote  the  great  sun 
on  the  face,  which  withered  and  darkened  beneath  the  blow. 
I  turned  away  and  went  on.  The  shadow  retreated  to  its 
former  position ;  and  when  I  looked  again  it  had  drawn  in 
all  its  spears  of  darkness,  and  followed  like  a  dog  at  my 
heels. 

Once,  as  I  passed  by  a  cottage,  there  came  out  a  lovely 
fairy  child,  with  two  wondrous  toys,  one  in  each  hand. 
The  one  was  the  tube  through  which  the  fairy-gifted  poet 
looks  when  he  beholds  the  same  thing  everywhere ;  the 
other  that  through  which  he  looks  when  he  combines  into 
new  forms  of  loveliness  those  images  of  beauty  which  his 
own  choice  has  gathered  from  all  regions  wherein  he  has 
travelled.  Round  the  child's  head  was  an  aureole  of 
emanating  rays.  As  I  looked  at  him  in  wonder  and 
delight,  round  crept  from  behind  me  the  something  dark, 
and  the  child  stood  in  my  shadow.  Straightway  he  was  a 
commonplace  boy,  with  a  rough,  broad-brimmed  straw  hat, 
through  which  brim  the  sun  shone  from  behind.  The  toys 
he  carried  were  a  multiplying-glass  and  a  kaleidoscope.  I 
sighed  and  departed. 

One  evening,  as  a  great  flood  of  western  gold  flowed 
through  an  avenue  in  the  woods,  down  the  stream,  just  as 
when  I  saw  him  first,  came  the  sad  knight,  riding  on  his 
chestnut  steed.  But  his  armor  did  not  shine  half  so  red  as 
when  I  saw  him  first.  Many  a  blow  of  mighty  sword  and 
axe,  turned  aside  by  the  strength  of  his  mail,  and  glancing 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  93 

adown  the  surface,  had  swept  from  its  path  the  fretted  rust, 
and  the  glorious  steel  had  answered  the  kindly  blow  with 
the  thanks  of  returning  light.  These  streaks  and  spots 
made  his  armor  look  like  the  floor  of  a  forest  in  the  sun- 
light. His  forehead  was  higher  than  before,  for  the  con- 
tracting wrinkles  were  nearly  gone ;  and  the  sadness  that 
remained  on  his  face  was  the  sadness  of  a  dewy  summer 
twilight,  not  that  of  a  frosty  autumn  morn.  He,  too,  had 
met  the  Alder-maiden  as  I ;  but  he  had  plunged  into  the 
torrent  of  mighty  deeds,  and  the  stain  was  nearly  washed 
away.  No  shadow  followed  him.  He  had  not  entered  the 
dark  house ;  he  had  not  had  time  to  open  the  closet-door. 
"Will  he  ever  look  in?"  I  said  to  myself.  ^^  Must  his 
shadow  find  him  some  day  ?  "  But  I  could  not  answer  my 
own  questions. 

We  travelled  together  for  two  days,  and  I  began  to  love 
him.  It  was  plain  that  he  suspected  my  story  in  some  de- 
gree ;  and  I  saw  him  once  or  twice  looking  curiously  and 
anxiously  at  my  attendant  gloom,  which  all  this  time  had 
remained  very  obsequiously  behind  me ;  but  I  offered  no 
explanation,  and  he  asked  none.  Shame  at  my  neglect  of 
his  warning,  and  a  horror  which  shrunk  from  even  alluding 
to  its  cause,  kept  me  silent,  till,  on  the  evening  of  the 
second  day,  some  noble  words  from  my  companion  roused 
all  my  heart,  and  I  was  at  the  point  of  falling  on  his  neck, 
and  telling  him  the  whole  story,  seeking,  if  not  for  helpful 
advice,  for  of  that  I  was  hopeless,  yet  for  the  comfort  of 


94  PHANTASIES : 

sympathy,  —  when  round  slid  the  shadow  and  enwrapt  my 
friend,  and  I  could  not  trust  him.  The  glory  of  his  brow 
vanished ;  the  light  of  his  eye  grew  cold  ;  and  I  held  my 
peace.     The  next  morning  we  parted. 

But  the  most  dreadful  thing  of  all  was,  that  I  now  began 
to  feel  something  like  satisfaction  in  the  presence  of  the 
shadow.  I  began  to  be  rather  vain  of  my  attendant,  say- 
ing to  myself,  "  In  a  land  like  this,  with  so  many  illusions 
everywhere,  I  need  his  aid  to  disenchant  the  things  around 
me.  He  does  away  with  all  appearances,  and  shows  me 
things  in  their  true  color  and  form.  And  I  am  not  one  to 
be  fooled  with  the  vanities  of  the  common  crowd,  I  will 
not  see  beauty  where  there  is  none.  I  will  dare  to  behold 
things  as  they  are.  And  if  I  live  in  a  waste  instead  of  a 
paradise,  I  will  live  knowing  where  I  live."  But  of  this  a 
certain  exercise  of  his  power,  which  soon  followed,  quite 
cured  me,  turning  my  feeling  towards  him  once  more  into 
loathing  and  distrust.     It  was  thus  :  — 

One  bright  noon,  a  little  maiden  joined  me,  coming 
through  the  wood  in  a  direction  at  right  angles  to  my  path. 
She  came  along  singing  and  dancing,  happy  as  a  child, 
though  she  seemed  almost  a  woman.  In  her  hands  —  now 
in  one,  now  in  another  —  she  carried  a  small  globe,  bright 
and  clear  as  the  purest  crystal.  This  seemed  at  once  her 
plaything  and  her  greatest  treasure.  At  one  moment 
you  would  have  thought  her  utterly  careless  of  it,  and  at 
another  overwhelmed  with  anxiety  for  its  safety.     But  I 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  95 

believe  she  \Fas  taking  care  of  it  all  the  time,  perhaps  not 
least  when  least  occupied  about  it.  She  stopped  by  me 
with  a  smile,  and  bade  me  ^ood-daj  with  the  sweetest  voice. 
I  felt  a  wonderful  liking  for  the  child,  —  for  she  produced 
on  me  more  the  impression  of  a  child,  though  my  under- 
standing told  me  differently.  We  talked  a  little,  and  then 
walked  on  together  in  the  direction  I  had  been  pursuing. 
I  asked  her  about  the  globe  she  carried,  but  getting  no  defi- 
nite answer,  I  held  out  my  hand  to  take  it.  She  drew 
back,  and  said,  but  smiling  almost  invitingly  the  while, 
"You  must  not  touch  it;  "  then,  after  a  moment's  pause, 
"or  if  you  do,  it  must  be  very  gently."  I  touched  it 
with  a  finger.  A  slight  vibratory  motion  arose  in  it,  ac- 
companied, or  perhaps  manifested,  by  a  faint,  sweet  sound. 
I  touched  it  again,  and  the  sound  increased.  I  touched  it 
the  third  time ;  a  tiny  torrent  of  harmony  rolled  out  of  the 
little  globe.     She  would  not  let  me  touch  it  any  more. 

We  travelled  on  together  all  that  day.     She  left  me 

when  twilight  came  on ;  but  next  day,  at  noon,  she  met  me 

( as  before,  and  again  we  travelled  till  evening.     The  third 

day  she  came  once  more  at  noon,  and  we  walked  on  to- 

',  gether.     Now,  though  we  had  talked  about  a  great  many 

,  things  connected  with  Fairy-land,  and  the  life  she  had  led 

;  hitherto,  I  had  never  been  able  to  learn  anything  about  the 

globe.      This  day,  however,  as  we  went  on,  the  shadow 

I  glided   round    and   enwrapt   the   maiden.       It   could   not 

jchange  her.     But  my   desire   to  know   about  the  globe, 


96  PHANTASTES : 

■which  in  his  gloom  began  to  waver  as  with  an  inward  light, 
and  to  shoot  out  flashes  of  many-colored  flame,  grew  irre- 
sistible. I  put  out  both  mj  hands  and  laid  hold  of  it.  It 
began  to  sound  as  before.  The  sound  rapidly  increased, 
till  it  grew  a  low  tempest  of  harmony,  and  the  globe  trem- 
bled, and  quivered,  and  throbbed  between  my  hands.  I 
had  not  the  heart  to  pull  it  away  from  the  maiden,  though 
I  held  it  in  spite  of  her  attempts  to  take  it  from  me  ;  yes, 
I  shame  to  say,  in  spite  of  her  prayers  and  at  last  her 
tears.  The  music  went  on  growing  in  intensity  and  com- 
plication of  tones,  and  the  globe  vibrated  and  heaved,  till 
at  last  it  burst  in  our  hands,  and  a  black  vapor  broke  up- 
wards from  out  of  it ;  then  turned,  as  if  blown  sideways, 
and  enveloped  the  maiden,  hiding  even  the  shadow  in  its 
blackness.  She  held  fast  the  fragments,  which  I  aban- 
doned, and  fled  from  me  into  the  forest  in  the  direction 
whence  she  had  come,  wailing  like  a  child,  and  crying, 
' '  You  have  broken  my  globe  !  my  globe  is  broken !  my 
globe  is  broken  !  "  I  followed  her,  in  the  hope  of  comfort- 
ing her;  but  had  not  pursued  her  far,  before  a  sudden 
cold  gust  of  wind  bowed  the  tree-tops  above  us,  and  swept 
through  their  stems  around  us ;  a  great  cloud  overspread 
the  day,  and  a  fierce  tempest  came  on,  in  which  I  lost  sight 
of  her.  It  lies  heavy  on  my  heart  to  this  hour.  At  night, 
ere  I  fall  asleep,  often,  whatever  I  may  be  thinking  about, 
I  suddenly  hear  her  voice,  crying  out,  "  You  have  broken 
my  globe  !  my  globe  is  broken  !  ah,  my  globe  !  " 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  97 

Here  I  will  mention  one  more  strange  thing ;  but 
whether  this  peculiarity  was  owing  to  my  shadow  at  all  I 
am  not  able  to  assure  myself.  I  came  to  a  village,  the  in- 
habitants of  which  could  not  at  first  sight  be  distinguished 
from  the  dwellers  in  our  own  land.  They  rather  avoided 
than  sought  my  company,  though  they  were  very  pleasant 
when  I  addressed  them.  But  at  last  I  observed  that, 
whenever  I  came  within  a  certain  distance  of  any  one  of 
them,  which  distance,  however,  varied  with  diflferent  in- 
dividuals, the  whole  appearance  of  the  person  began  to 
change ;  and  this  change  increased  in  degree  as  I  ap- 
proached. When  I  receded  to  the  former  distance,  the 
former  appearance  was  restored.  The  nature  of  the  change 
was  grotesque,  following  no  fixed  rule.  The  nearest  re- 
semblance to  it  that  I  know,  is  the  distortion  produced  in 
your  countenance  when  you  look  at  it  as  reflected  in  a 
concave  or  convex  surface,  —  say,  either  side  of  a  bright 
spoon.  Of  this  phenomenon  I  first  became  aware  in  rather 
a  ludicrous  way.  My  host's  daughter  was  a  very  pleasant, 
pretty  girl,  who  made  herself  more  agreeable  to  me  than 
most  of  those  about  me.  For  some  days  my  companion- 
shadow  had  been  less  obtrusive  than  usual ;  and  such  was 
the  reaction  of  spirits  occasioned  by  the  simple  mitigation 
of  torment,  that,  although  I  had  cause  enough  besides  to 
be  gloomy,  I  felt  light  and  comparatively  happy.  My 
impression  is,  that  she  was  quite  aware  of  the  law  of  ap- 
pearances that  existed  between  the  people  of  the  place  and 


98  PHANTASTES : 

myself,  and  had  resolved  to  amuse  herself  at  my  expense ; 
for  one  evening,  after  some  jesting  and  raillery,  she,  some- 
how or  other,  provoked  me  to  attempt  to  kiss  her.  But 
she  was  well  defended  from  any  assault  of  the  kind.  Her 
countenance  became,  of  a  sudden,  absurdly  hideous ;  the 
pretty  mouth  was  elongated,  and  otherwise  amplified  suflS- 
ciently  to  have  allowed  of  six  simultaneous  kisses.  I 
started  back  in  bewildered  dismay;  she  burst  into  the 
merriest  fit  of  laughter,  and  ran  from  the  room.  I  soon 
found  that  the  same  undefinable  law  of  change  operated 
between  me  and  all  the  other  villagers ;  and  that,  to  feel  I 
was  in  pleasant  company,  it  was  absolutely  necessary  for 
me  to  discover  and  observe  the  right  focal  distance  between 
myself  and  each  one  with  whom  I  had  to  do.  This  done, 
all  went  pleasantly  enough.  Whether,  when  I  happened 
to  neglect  this  precaution,  I  presented  to  them  an  equally 
ridiculous  appearance,  I  did  not  ascertain  ;  but  I  presume 
that  the  alteration  was  common  to  the  approximating 
parties.  I  was  likewise  unable  to  determine  whether  I  was 
a  necessary  party  to  the  production  of  this  strange  trans- 
formation, or  whether  it  took  place  as  well,  under  the 
given  circumstances,  between  the  inhabitants  themselves. 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  99 


X. 

From  Eden's  bowers  the  full-fed  rivers  flow, 
To  guide  the  outcasts  to  the  land  of  woe  : 
Our  Earth  one  little  toiling  streamlet  yields, 
To  guide  the  wanderers  to  the  happy  fields. 

After  leaving  this  village,  where  I  had  rested  for 
nearly  a  week,  I  travelled  through  a  desert  region  of  dry 
sand  and  glittering  rocks,  peopled  principally  by  goblin- 
fairies.  When  I  first  entered  their  domains,  and,  indeed, 
whenever  I  fell  in  with  another  tribe  of  them,  they  began 
mocking  me  with  offered  handfuls  of  gold  and  jewels, 
making  hideous  grimaces  at  me,  and  performing  the  most 
antic  homage,  as  if  they  thought  I  expected  reverence,  and 
meant  to  humor  me  like  a  maniac.  But  ever,  as  soon  as  one 
cast  his  eyes  on  the  shadow  behind  me,  he  made  a  wry  face, 
partly  of  pity,  partly  of  contempt,  and  looked  ashamed,  as 
if  he  had  been  caught  doing  something  inhuman;  then 
throwing  down  his  handful  of  gold,  and  ceasing  all  his  grim- 
aces, he  stood  aside  to  let  me  pass  in  peace,  and  made  signs 
to  his  companions  to  do  the  like.  I  had  no  inclination  to  ob- 
serve them  much,  for  the  shadow  was  in  my  heart  as  well  as 
at  my  heels.  I  walked  listlessly  and  almost  hopelessly  along, 
till  I  arrived  one  day  at  a  small  spring,  which,  bursting 


100  PHANTASTES : 

cool  from  the  heart  of  a  sun-heated  rock,  flowed  somewhat 
southwards  from  the  direction  I  had  been  taking.  I  drank 
of  this  spring,  and  found  myself  Avonderfullj  refreshed. 
A  kind  of  love  to  the  cheerful  little  stream  arose  in  mj 
heart.  It  was  born  in  a  desert ;  but  it  seemed  to  say  to 
itself,  ' '  I  will  flow,  and  sing,  and  lave  my  banks,  till  I 
make  my  desert  a  paradise."  I  thought  I  could  not  do 
better  than  follow  it,  and  see  what  it  made  of  it.  So 
down  with  the  stream  I  went,  over  rocky  lands,  burning 
with  sunbeams.  But  the  rivulet  flowed  not  far,  before  a 
few  blades  of  grass  appeared  on  its  banks,  and  then,  here 
and  there,  a  stunted  bush.  Sometimes  it  disappeared 
altogether  under  ground ;  and  after  I  had  wandered  some 
distance,  as  near  as  I  could  guess,  in  the  direction  it 
seemed  to  take,  I  would  suddenly  hear  it  again,  singing, 
sometimes  far  away  to  my  right  or  left,  amongst  new  rocks, 
over  which  it  made  new  cataracts  of  watery  melodies. 
The  verdure  on  its  banks  increased  as  it  flowed ;  other 
streams  joined  it ;  and  at  last,  after  many  days'  travel,  I 
found  myself,  one  gorgeous  summer  evening,  resting  by 
the  side  of  a  broad  river,  with  a  glorious  horse-chestnut 
tree  towering  above  me,  and  dropping  its  blossoms,  milk- 
white  and  rosy-red  all  about  me.  As  I  sat,  a  gush  of  joy 
sprang  forth  in  my  heart,  and  overflowed  at  my  eyes. 
Through  my  tears,  the  whole  landscape  glimmered  in  such 
bewitching  loveliness,  that  I  felt  as  if  I  were  entering 
Fairy-land  for  the  first  time,  and  some  loving  hand  were 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  101 

waiting  to  cool  my  head,  and  a  loving  word  to  warm  my 
heart.  Roses,  wild  roses,  everywhere !  So  plentiful  were 
they,  they  not  only  perfumed  the  air,  they  seemed  to  dye 
it  a  faint  rose-hue.  The  color  floated  abroad  with  the 
scent,  and  climbed,  and  spread,  until  the  whole  west  blushed 
and  glowed  with  the  gathered  incense  of  roses.  And  my 
heart  fainted  with  longing  in  my  bosom.  Could  I  but  see 
the  Spirit  of  the  Earth,  as  I  saw  once  the  indwelling 
woman  of  the  beech-tree,  and  my  beauty  of  the  pale 
marble,  I  should  be  content.  Content !  —  Oh,  how  gladly 
would  I  die  of  the  light  of  her  eyes !  Yea,  I  would  cease 
to  be,  if  that  would  bring  me  one  word  of  love  from  the 
one  mouth.  The  twilight  sank  around,  and  infolded  me 
with  sleep.  I  slept  as  I  had  not  slept  for  months.  I  did 
not  awake  till  late  in  the  morning;  when,  refreshed  in 
body  and  mind,  I  rose  as  from  the  death  that  wipes  out  the 
sadness  of  life,  and  then  dies  itself  in  the  new  morrow. 
Again  I  followed  the  stream ;  now  climbing  a  steep,  rocky 
bank  that  hemmed  it  in  ;  now  wading  through  long  grasses 
and  wild  flowers  in  its  path,  now  through  meadows,  and 
anon  through  woods  that  crowded  down  to  the  very  lip 
of  the  water. 

At  length,  in  a  nook  of  the  river,  gloomy  with  the 
weight  of  overhanging  foliage,  and  still  and  deep  as  a  soul 
in  which  the  torrent  eddies  of  pain  have  hollowed  a  great 
gulf,  and  then,  subsiding  in  violence,  have  left  it  full  of  a 
motionless,  fathomless  sorrow,  —  I  saw  a  little  boat  lying. 


102  phantasies: 

So  still  was  the  water  here  that  the  boat  needed  no  fasten- 
ing. It  lay  as  if  some  one  had  just  stepped  ashore,  and 
would  in  a  moment  return.  But  as  there  were  no  signs  of 
presence,  and  no  track  through  the  thick  bushes,  and, 
moreover,  as  I  was  in  Fairj-land,  where  one  does  very 
much  as  he  pleases,  I  forced  mj  way  to  the  brink,  stepped 
into  the  boat,  pushed  it,  with  the  help  of  the  tree-branches, 
out  into  the  stream,  lay  down  in  the  bottom,  and  let  my 
boat  and  me  float  whither  the  stream  would  carry  us.  I 
seemed  to  lose  myself  in  the  great  flow  of  sky  above  me, 
unbroken  in  its  infinitude,  except  when,  now  and  then, 
coming  nearer  the  shore  at  a  bend  in  the  river,  a  tree 
would  sweep  its  mighty  head  silently  above  mine,  and  glide 
away  back  into  the  past,  never  more  to  fling  its  shadow 
over  me.  I  fell  asleep  in  this  cradle,  in  which  mother 
Nature  was  rocking  her  weary  child;  and  while  I  slept, 
the  sun  slept  not,  but  went  round  his  arched  way.  When 
I  awoke,  he  slept  in  'the  waters,  and  I  went  on  my  silent 
path  beneath  a  round,  silvery  moon.  And  a  pale  moon 
looked  up  from  the  floor  of  the  great  blue  cave  that  lay  in 
the  abysmal  silence  beneath. 

Why  are  all  reflections  lovelier  than  what  we  call  the 
reality  ?  —  not  so  grand  or  so  strong,  it  may  be,  but 
always  lovelier?  Fair  as  is  the  gliding  sloop  on  the  shin- 
ing sea,  the  wavering,  trembling,  unresting  sail  below  is 
fairer  still.  Yea,  the  reflecting  ocean  itself,  reflected  in  the 
mirror,  has    a  wondrousness  about  its  waters  that   some- 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  103 

what  vanishes  when  I  turn  towards  itself.  All  mirrors 
are  magic  mirrors.  The  commonest  room  is  a  ro^i/m  in  a 
poem  when  I  turn  to  the  glass.  (And  this  reminds  me, 
while  I  write,  of  a  strange  story  which  I  read  in  the  fairy 
palace,  and  of  which  I  will  try  to  make  a  feeble  memorial 
in  its  place.)  In  whatever  way  it  may  be  accounted  for, 
of  one  thing  we  may  be  sure,  that  this  feeling  is  no  cheat ; 
for  there  is  no  cheating  in  nature  and  the  simple,  unsought 
feelings  of  the  soul.  There  must  be  a  truth  involved  in  it, 
though  we  may  but  in  part  lay  hold  of  the  meaning. 
Even  the  memories  of  past  pain  are  beautiful ;  and  past 
delights,  though  beheld  only  through  clefts  in  the  gray 
clouds  of  sorrow,  are  lovely  as  Fairy-land.  But  how 
have  I  wandered  into  the  deeper  fairy-land  of  the  soul, 
while  as  yet  I  only  float  towards  the  fairy  palace  of  Fairy- 
land !  The  moon,  which  is  the  lovelier  memory  or  reflex 
of  the  down-gone  sun,  the  joyous  day  seen  in  the  faint 
mirror  of  the  brooding  night,  had  rapt  me  away. 

I  sat  up  in  the  boat.  Gigantic  forest  trees  were  about 
me ;  through  which,  like  a  silver  snake,  twisted  and 
twined  the  great  river.  The  little  waves,  when  I  moved  in 
the  boat,  heaved  and  fell  with  a  plash  as  of  molten  silver, 
breaking  the  image  of  the  moon  into  a  thousand  morsels, 
fusing  again  into  one,  as  the  ripples  of  laughter  die  into 
the  still  face  of  joy.  The  sleeping  woods,  in  undefined 
massiveness  ;  the  water  that  flowed  in  its  sleep  ;  and,  above 
•all,  the  enchantress  moon,  which  had  cast  them  all,  with 


104  -  PHANTASIES  : 

her  pale  eye,  into  the  charmed  slumber,  sank  into  my  soul, 
and  I  felt  as  if  I  had  died  in  a  dream,  and  should  never 
more  aAvake. 

From  this  I  was  partly  aroused  by  a  glimmering  of 
white  that,  through  the  trees  on  the  left,  vaguely  crossed 
my  vision  as  I  gazed  upwards.  But  the  trees  again  hid 
the  object;  and,  at  the  moment,  some  strange  melodious 
bird  took  up  its  song,  and  sang,  not  an  ordinary  bird-song, 
with  constant  repetitions  of  the  same  melody,  but  what 
sounded  like  a  continuous  strain,  in  which  one  thought  was 
expressed,  deepening  in  intensity  as  evolved  in  progress. 
It  sounded  like  a  welcome  already  overshadowed  with  the 
coming  farewell.  As  in  all  sweetest  music,  a  tinge  of  sad- 
ness was  in  every  note.  Nor  do  we  know  how  much  of 
the  pleasures  even  of  life  we  owe  to  the  intermingled  sor- 
rows. Joy  cannot  unfold  the  deepest  truths,  although 
deepest  truth  must  be  deepest  joy.  Cometh  white-robed 
Sorrow,  stooping  and  wan,  and  flingeth  wide  the  doors  she 
may  not  enter.  Almost  we  linger  with  Sorrow  for  very 
love. 

As  the  song  concluded,  the  stream  bore  my  little  boat 
with  a  gentle  sweep  round  a  bend  of  the  river ;  and  lo  !  on 
a  broad  lawn,  which  rose  from  the  water's  edge  with  a  long 
green  slope  to  a  clear  elevation  from  which  the  trees  re- 
ceded on  all  sides,  stood  a  stately  palace  glimmering 
ghostly  in  the  moonshine  :  it  seemed  to  be  built  throughout 
of  the  whitest  marble.     There  was   no  reflection  of  moon- 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  105 

light  from  windows,  —  there  seemed  to  be  none ;  so  there 
was  no  cold  glitter ;  only,  as  I  said,  a  ghostly  shimmer. 
Numberless  shadows  tempered  the  shine,  from  column  and 
balcony  and  tower  :  for  everywhere  galleries  ran  along 
the  face  of  the  buildings ;  wings  were  extended  in  many 
directions ;  and  numberless  openings,  through  which  the 
moonbeams  vanished  into  the  interior,  and  which  served 
both  for  doors  and  windows,  had  their  separate  balconies  in 
front,  communicating  with  a  common  gallery  that  rose  on 
its  own  pillars.  Of  course,  I  did  not  discover  all  this  from 
the  river,  and  in  the  moonlight.  But,  though  I  was  there 
for  many  days,  I  did  not  succeed  in  mastering  the  inner 
topography  of  the  building,  so  extensive  and  complicated 
was  it. 

Here  I  wished  to  land,  but  the  boat  had  no  odrs  on 
board.  However,  I  found  that  a  plank,  serving  for  a  seat, 
was  unfastened,  and  with  that  I  brought  the  boat  to  the 
bank,  and  scrambled  on  shore.  Deep,  soft  turf  sank  beneath 
my  feet,  as  I  went  up  the  ascent  towards  the  palace.  When 
I  reached  it,  I  saw  that  it  stood  on  a  great  platform  of 
marble,  with  an  ascent,  by  broad  stairs  of  the  same,  all 
round  it.  Arrived  on  the  platform,  I  found  there  was  an 
extensive  outlook  over  the  forest,  which,  however,  was 
rather  veiled  than  revealed  by  the  moonlight.  Entering 
by  a  wide  gateway,  but  without  gates,  into  an  inner  court, 
surrounded  on  all  sides  by  great  marble  pillars  supporting 
galleries  above,  I  saw  a  large  fountain  of  porphyry  in  the 


106  PHANTASTjES: 

middle;  throwing  up  a  lofty  column  of  water,  which  fell, 
with  a  noise  as  of  the  fusion  of  all  sweet  sounds,  into  a 
basin  beneath ;  overflowing  which,  it  ran  in  a  single 
channel  towards  the  interior  of  the  building.  Although 
the  moon  was  by  this  time  so  low  in  the  west  that  not  a 
ray  of  her  light  fell  into  the  court,  over  the  height  of  the 
surrounding  buildings,  yet  was  the  court  lighted  by  a 
second  reflex  from  the  sun  of  other  lands.  For  the  top  of 
the  column  of  water,  just  as  it  spread  to  fall,  caught  the 
moonbeams,  and,  like  a  great,  pale  lamp  hung  high  in  the 
night  air,  threw  a  dim  memory  of  light  (as  it  were)  over 
the  court  below.  This  court  was  paved  in  diamonds  of 
white  and  red  marble.  According  to  my  custom  since  I 
entered  Fairy-land,  of  taking  for  a  guide  whatever  I  first 
found  moving  in  any  direction,  I  followed  the  stream  from 
the  basin  of  the  fountain.  It  led  me  to  a  great,  open  door, 
beneath  the  ascending  steps  of  which  it  ran  through  a  low 
arch  and  disappeared.  Entering  here,  I  found  myself  in  a 
great  hall,  surrounded  with  white  pillars,  and  paved  with 
black  and  white.  This  I  could  see  by  the  moonlight, 
which,  from  the  other  side,  streamed  through  open  windows 
into  the  hall.  Its  height  I  could  not  distinctly  see.  As 
soon  as  I  entered,  I  had  the  feeling  so  common  to  me  in  the 
woods,  that  there  were  others  there  besides  myself,  though 
I  could  see  no  one,  and  heard  no  sound  to  indicate  a  pres- 
ence. Since  my  visit  to  the  Church  of  Darkness,  my 
power   of    seeing   the   fairies   of    the   higher  orders    had 


A    FAEEIE    ROMANCE.  107 

gradually  diminislied,  until  it  had  almost  ceased.  But  I 
could  frequently  believe  in  their  presence  while  unable  to 
see  them.  Still,  although  I  had  company,  and  doubtless 
of  a  safe  kind,  it  seemed  rather  dreary  to  spend  the  night 
in  an  empty  marble  hall,  however  beautiful ;  especially  as 
the  moon  was  near  the  going  down,  and  it  would  soon  be 
dark.  So  I  began  at  the  place  where  I  entered,  and 
walked  round  the  hall,  looking  for  some  door  or  passage 
that  might  lead  me  to  a  more  hospitable  chamber.  As  I 
walked,  I  was  deliciously  haunted  with  the  feeling  that, 
behind  some  one  of  the  seemingly  innumerable  pillars,  one 
who  loved  me  was  waiting  for  me.  Then  I  thought  she 
was  following  me  from  pillar  to  pillar  as  I  went  along  ;  but 
no  arms  came  out  of  the  faint  moonlight,  and  no  sigh 
assured  me  of  her  presence. 

At  length  I  came  to  an  open  corridor,  into  which  I 
turned;  notwithstanding  that  in  doing  so  I  left  the  light 
behind.  Along  this  I  walked  with  outstretched  hands, 
groping  my  way,  till,  arriving  at  another  corridor,  which 
seemed  to  strike  off  at  right  angles  to  that  in  which  I  was, 
I  saw  at  the  end  a  faintly  glimmering  light,  too  pale  even 
for  moonshine,  resembling  rather  a  stray  phosphorescence. 
However,  where  everything  was  white,  a  little  light  went  a 
great  way.  So  I  walked  on  to  the  end,  and  a  long  corri- 
dor it  Avas.  When  I  came  up  to  the  light,  I  found  that  it 
proceeded  from  what  looked  like  silver  letters  upon  a  door 
of  ebony  :  and,  to  my  surprise,  even  in  the  home  of  wonder 


108  PHANTASIES : 

itself,  the  letters  formed  the  words,  Tlie  Cliamher  of  Sir 
Anodos.  Although  I  had  as  yet  no  right  to  the  honors  of 
a  knight,  I  ventured  to  conclude  that  the  chamber  was 
indeed  intended  for  me,  and,  opening  the  door  without 
hesitation,  I  entered.  Any  doubt  as  to  whether  I  was  right 
in  so  doing  was  soon  dispelled.  AVhat  to  my  dark  eyes 
seemed  a  blaze  of  light,  burst  upon  me.  A  fire  of  large  pieces 
of  some  sweet-scented  wood,  supported  by  dogs  of  silver,  was 
burning  on  the  hearth,  and  a  bright  lamp  stood  on  a  table, 
in  the  midst  of  a  plentiful  meal,  apparently  awaiting  my  arri- 
val. But  what  surprised  me  more  than  all  was  that  the  room 
was  in  every  respect  a  copy  of  my  own  room,  —  the  room 
whence  the  little  stream  from  my  basin  had  led  me  into  Fairy- 
land. There  was  the  very  carpet  of  grass  and  moss  and 
daisies,  which  I  had  myself  designed ;  the  curtains  of  pale 
blue  silk,  that  fell  like  a  cataract  over  the  windows ;  the  old- 
fashioned  bed,  with  the  chintz  furniture,  on  which  I  had 
slept  from  boyhood.  "  Now  I  shall  sleep,"  I  said  to  my- 
self.    "  My  shadow  dares  not  come  here." 

I  sat  down  to  the  table,  and  began  to  help  myself  to  the 
good  things  before  me  with  confidence.  And  now  I  found, 
as  in  many  instances  before,  how  true  the  fairy  tales  are ; 
for  I  was  waited  on,  all  the  time  of  my  meal,  by  invisible 
hands.  I  had  scarcely  to  do  more  than  look  towards  any- 
thing I  wanted,  when  it  was  brought  me,  just  as  if  it  had 
come  to  me  of  itself  My  glass  was  kept  filled  with  the 
wine  I  had  chosen,  until  I  looked  towards  another  bottle  or 


'  A    FAERIE    ROMANCE,  109 

I 

(^ecanter,  when  a  fresh  glass  was  substituted,  and  the  other 
wine  supplied.  When  I  had  eaten  and  drunk  more  heartily 
and  joyfully  than  ever  since  I  entered  Fairy-land,  the 
whole  was  removed  by  several  attendants,  of  whom  some 
were  male  and  some  female,  as  I  thought  I  could  dis- 
tinguish from  the  way  the  dishes  were  lifted  from  the  table, 
and  the  motion  with  which  they  were  carried  out  of  the 
room.  As  soon  as  they  were  all  taken  away,  I  heard  a 
sound  as  of  the  shutting  of  a  door,  and  knew  that  I  was 
left  alone.  I  sat  long  by  the  fire,  meditating,  and  wonder- 
ing how  it  would  all  end;  and  when  at  length,  wearied 
with  thinking,  I  betook  myself  to  my  own  old  bed,  it  was 
half  with  a  hope  that,  when  I  awoke  in  the  morning,  I 
should  awake  not  only  in  my  own  room,  but  in  my  own 
castle  also;  and  that  I  should  walk  out  upon  my  own 
native  soil,  and  find  that  Fairy-land  was,  after  all,  only  a 
vision  of  the  night.  The  sound  of  the  falling  waters  of 
the  fountain  floated  me  into  oblivion. 


110  PHANTASIES: 


XL 

A  wilderness  of  building,  sinking  far 

And  self-withdrawn  into  a  wondrous  depth, 

Far  sinking  into  splendor —  without  end  I 

Fabric  it  seemed  of  diamond  and  of  gold, 

With  alabaster  domes,  and  silver  spires, 

And  blazing  terrace  upon  terrace,  high 

Uplifted.  Wordsworth. 

But  when,  after  a  sleep,  which,  although  dreamless,  yet 
left  behind  it  a  sense  of  past  blessedness,  I  awoke  in  the  full 
morning,  I  found  indeed,  that  the  room  was  still  mj  own, 
but  that  it  looked  abroad  upon  an  unknown  landscape  of 
forest  and  hill  and  dale  on  the  one  side ;  and  on  the  other 
upon  the  marble  court,  with  the  great  fountain,  the  crest 
of  which  now  flashed  glorious  in  the  sun,  and  cast  on  the 
pavement  beneath  a  shower  of  faint  shadows  from  the 
waters  that  fell  from  it  into  the  marble  basin  below. 

Agreeably  to  all  authentic  accounts  of  the  treatment  of 
travellers  in  Fairy-land,  I  found  by  my  bedside  a  complete 
suit  of  fresh  clothing,  just  such  as  I  was  in  the  habit  of 
wearing ;  for,  though  varied  sufficiently  from  the  one  re- 
moved, it  was  yet  in  complete  accordance  with  my  tastes. 
I  dressed  myself  in  this  and  went  out.  The  whole  palace 
shone  like  silver  in  the  sun.     The  marble  was  partly  dull 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  Ill 

and  partly  polished ;  and  every  pinnacle,  dome,  and  turret 
ended  in  a  ball,  or  cone,  or  cusp  of  silver.  It  was  like 
frost-work,  and  too  dazzling,  in  the  sun,  for  earthly  eyes 
like  mine.  I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  the  environs, 
save  by  saying  that  all  the  pleasures  to  be  found  in  the 
most  varied  and  artistic  arrangement  of  wood  and  river, 
lawn  and  wild  forest,  garden  and  shrubbery,  rocky  hill  and 
luxurious  vale  ;  in  living  creatures  wild  and  tame  ;  in  gor- 
geous birds,  scattered  fountains,  little  streams,  and  reedy 
lakes,  —  all  were  here.  Some  parts  of  the  palace  itself  I 
shall  have  occasion  to  describe  more  minutely. 

For  this  whole  morning  I  never  thought  of  my  demon 
shadow ;  and  not  till  the  weariness  which  supervened  on 
delight  brought  it  again  to  my  memory,  did  I  look  round 
to  see  if  it  was  behind  me :  it  was  scarcely  discernible. 
But  its  presence,  however  faintly  revealed,  sent  a  pang  to 
my  heart,  for  the  pain  of  which  not  all  the  beauties  around 
me  could  compensate.  It  was  followed,  however,  by  the 
comforting  reflection  that,  peradventure,  I  might  here  find 
the  magic  word  of  power  to  banish  the  demon  and  set  me 
free,  so  that  I  should  no  longer  be  a  man  beside  myself. 
The  Queen  of  Fairy-land,  thought  I,  must  dwell  here; 
surely  she  will  put  forth  her  power  to  deliver  me,  and  send 
me  singing  through  the  further  gates  of  her  country  back 
to  my  own  land.  "Shadow  of  me!"  I  said,  "which  art 
not  me,  but  which  representest  thyself  to  me  as  me ;  here 
I  may  find  a  shadow  of  light  which  will  devour  thee,  the 


112  PHANTASTES : 

shadow  of  darkness  !  Here  I  may  find  a  blessing  which 
will  fall  on  thee  as  a  curse,  and  damn  thee  to  the  blackness 
whence  thou  hast  emerged  unbidden."  I  said  this, 
stretched  at  length  on  the  slope  of  the  lawn  above  the  river ; 
and  as  the  hope  arose  within  me  the  sun  came  forth  from  a 
light,  fleecy  cloud  that  swept  across  his  face,  and  hill  and 
dale,  and  the  great  river  winding  on  through  the  still, 
mysterious  forest,  flashed  back  his  rays  as  with  a  silent 
shout  of  joy;  all  nature  lived  and  glowed;  the  very  earth 
grew  warm  beneath  me ;  a  magnificent  dragon-fly  went 
past  me  like  an  arrow  from  a  bow,  and  a  whole  concert  of 
birds  burst  into  choral  song. 

The  heat  of  the  sun  soon  became  too  intense  even  for 
passive  support.  I  therefore  rose,  and  sought  the  shelter 
of  one  of  the  arcades.  Wandering  along  from  one  to 
another  of  these,  wherever  my  heedless  steps  led  me.  and 
wondering  everywhere  at  the  simple  magnificence  of  the 
building,  I  arrived  at  another  hall,  the  roof  of  which  was 
of  a  pale  blue,  spangled  with  constellations  of  silver  stars, 
and  supported  by  porphyry  pillars  of  a  paler  red  than 
ordinary.  —  In  this  house  (I  may  remark  in  passing) 
silver  seemed  everywhere  preferred  to  gold  ;  and  such  was 
the  purity  of  the  air  that  it  showed  nowhere  signs  of  tar- 
nishing. —  The  whole  of  the  floor  of  this  hall,  except  a 
narrow  path  behind  the  pillars,  paved  with  black,  was  hol- 
lowed into  a  huge  basin,  many  feet  deep,  and  filled  with 
the  purest,  most  liquid  and  radiant  water.     The  sides  of 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  113 

the  basin  were  white  marble,  and  the  bottom  was  paved 
with  all  kinds  of  refulgent  stones,  of  every  shape  and  hue. 
In  their  arrangement,  you  would  have  supposed,  at  first 
sight,  that  there  was  no  design,  for  they  seemed  to  lie  as  if 
cast  there  from  careless  and  playful  hands ;  but  it  was  a 
most  harmonious  confusion ;  and  as  I  looked  at  the  play 
of  their  colors,  especially  when  the  waters  were  in  motion, 
I  came  at  last  to  feel  as  if  not  one  little  peddle  could  be 
displaced,  without  injuring  the  effect  of  the  whole.  Be- 
neath this  floor  of  the  water  lay  the  reflection  of  the  blue 
inverted  roof,  fretted  with  its  silver  stars,  like  a  second 
deeper  sea  clasping  and  upholding  the  first.  This  fairy 
bath  was  probably  fed  from  the  fountain  in  the  court.  Led 
by  an  irresistible  desire,  I  undressed  and  plunged  into  the 
water.  It  clothed  me  as  with  a  new  sense  and  its  object 
both  in  one.  The  waters  lay  so  close  to  me  they  seemed 
to  enter  and  revive  my  heart.  I  rose  to  the  surface,  shook 
the  water  from  my  hair,  and  swam  as  in  a  rainbow,  amid 
the  coruscations  of  the  gems  below  seen  though  the  agita- 
tion caused  by  my  motion.  Then,  with  open  eyes,  I  dived, 
and  swam  beneath  the  surface.  And  here  was  a  new 
wonder.  For  the  basin,  thus  beheld,  appeared  to  extend 
on  all  sides  like  a  sea,  with  here  and  there  groups  as  of 
ocean  rocks,  hollowed  by  ceaseless  billows  into  wondrous 
caves  and  grotesque  pinnacles.  Around  the  caves  grew 
sea-weeds  of  all  hues,  and  the  corals  glowed  between ; 
while,  far  off,  I  saw  the  glimmer  of  what  seemed  to  be 


114  PHANTASTES  : 

creatures' of  human  form  at  home  in  the  waters.  I  thought 
I  had  been  enchanted ;  and  that,  when  I  rose  to  the  sur- 
face, I  should  find  myself  miles  from  land,  swimming  alone 
upon  a  heaving  sea ;  but,  when  my  eyes  emerged  from  the 
waters,  I  saw  above  me  the  blue  spangled  vault,  and  the 
red  pillars  around.  I  dived  again,  and  found  myself  once 
more  in  the  heart  of  a  great  sea.  I  then  arose,  and  swam 
to  the  edge,  where  I  got  out  easily,  for  the  water  reached 
the  very  brim,  and,  as  I  drew  near,  washed  in  tiny  waves 
over  the  black  marble  border.  I  dressed,  and  went  out, 
deeply  refreshed. 

And  now  I  began  to  discern  faint,  gracious  forms  here 
and  there  throughout  the  building.  Some  walked  together 
in  earnest  conversation.  Others  strayed  alone.  Some  stood 
in  groups,  as  if  looking  at  and  talking  about  a  picture  or  a 
statue.  None  of  them  heeded  me ;  nor  were  they  plainly 
visible  to  my  eyes.  Sometimes  a  group,  or  single  individ- 
ual, would  fade  entirely  out  of  the  realm  of  my  vision  as 
I  gazed.  When  evening  came,  and  the  moon  arose  clear 
as  the  round  of  a  horizon-sea  when  the  sun  hangs  over  it  in 
the  west,  I  began  to  see  them  all  more  plainly,  especially 
when  they  came  between  me  and  the  moon,  and  yet  more 
especially  when  I  myself  was  in  the  shade.  But,  even 
then,  I  sometimes  saw  only  the  passing  wave  of  a  white 
robe ;  or  a  lovely  arm  or  neck  gleamed  by  in  the  moon- 
shine ;  or  white  feet  went  walking  alone  over  the  moony 
sward  ;  nor,  I  grieve  to  say,  did  I  ever  come  much  nearer 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  115 

to  these  glorious  beings,  or  ever  look  upon  the  Queen  of 
the  Fairies  herself.     My  destiny  ordered  otherwise. 

In  this  palace  of  marble  and  silver,  and  fountains  and 
moonshine,  I  spent  many  days ;  waited  upon  constantly  in 
my  own  room  with  everything  desirable,  and  bathing  daily 
in  the  fairy  bath.  All  this  time  I  was  little  troubled  with 
my  demon  shadow.  I  had  a  vague  feeling  that  he  was 
somewhere  about  the  palace  ;  but  it  seemed  as  if  the  hope 
that  I  should  in  this  place  be  finally  freed  from  his  hated 
presence  had  sufficed  to  banish  him  for  a  time.  How  and 
where  I  found  him  I  shall  soon  have  to  relate. 

The  third  day  after  my  arrival  I  found  the  library  of 
the  palace ;  and  here,  all  the  time  I  remained,  I  spent 
most  of  the  middle  of  the  day.  For  it  was,  not  to  mention 
far  greater  attractions,  a  luxurious  retreat  from  the  noon- 
tide sun.  During  the  mornings  and  afternoons  I  wan- 
dered about  the  lovely  neighborhood,  or  lay,  lost  in  deli- 
cious day-dreams,  beneath  some  mighty  tree  on  the  open 
lawn.  My  evenings  were  by  and  by  spent  in  a  part  of  the 
palace,  the  account  of  which,  and  of  my  adventures  in 
connection  with  it,  I  must  yet  postpone  for  a  little. 

The  library  was  a  mighty  hall,  lighted  from  the  roof, 
which  was  formed  of  something  like  glass,  vaulted  over  in 
a  single  piece,  and  stained  throughout  with  a  great,  myste- 
rious picture  in  gorgeous  coloring.  The  walls  were  lined 
from  floor  to  roof  with  books  and  books,  most  of  them  in 
ancient  bindings,  but  some  in  strange  new  fashions  which  I 


116  PHANTASTES: 

had  never  seen,  and  which,  were  I  to  make  the  attempt,  I 
could  ill  describe.  All  around  the  walls,  in  front  of  the 
books,  ran  galleries  in  rows,  communicating  by  stairs. 
These  galleries  were  built  of  all  kinds  of  colored  stones ; 
all  sorts  of  marble  and  granite,  with  porphyry,  jasper, 
lapis  lazuli,  agate,  and  various  others,  were  ranged  in  won- 
derful melody  of  successive  colors.  Although  the  material, 
then,  of  which  these  galleries  and  stairs  were  built,  ren- 
dered necessary  a  certain  degree  of  massiveness  in  the  con- 
struction, yet  such  was  the  size  of  the  place  that  they 
seemed  to  run  along  the  walls  like  cords.  Over  some  parts 
of  the  library  descended  curtains  of  silk  of  various  dyes, 
none  of  which  I  ever  saw  lifted  while  I  was  there ;  and  I 
felt  somehow  that  it  would  be  presumptuous  in  me  to  ven- 
ture to  look  within  them.  But  the  use  of  the  other  books 
seemed  free ;  and  day  after  day  I  came  to  the  library, 
threw  myself  on  one  of  the  many  sumptuous  eastern  car- 
pets, which  lay  here  and  there  on  the  floor,  and  read,  and 
read,  until  weary,  —  if  that  can  be  designated  as  weariness, 
which  was  rather  the  faintness  of  rapturous  delight,  —  or 
until,  sometimes,  the  failing  of  the  light  invited  me  to  go 
abroad,  in  the  hope  that  a  cool,  gentle  breeze  might  have 
arisen  to  bathe,  with  an  airy,  invigorating  bath,  the  limbs 
which  the  glow  of  the  burning  spirit  within  had  withered 
no  less  than  the  glow  of  the  blazing  sun  without. 

One  peculiarity  of  these  books,  or,  at  least,  most  of  those 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  117 

I  looked  into,  I  must  make  a  somewhat  vain  attempt  to  de- 
scribe. 

If,  for  instance,  it  was  a  book  of  metaphysics  I  opened, 
I  had  scarcely  read  two  pages  before  I  seemed  to  myself 
to  be  pondering  over  discovered  truth,  and  constructing  the 
intellectual  machine  whereby  to  communicate  the  discovery 
to  my  fellow-men.  With  some  books,  however,  of  this 
nature,  it  seemed  rather  as  if  the  process  was  removed  yet 
a  great  way  further  back,  and  I  was  trying  to  find  the 
root  of  a  manifestation,  the  spiritual  truth  whence  a  mate- 
rial vision  sprang;  or  to  combine  two  propositions,  both 
apparently  true,  either  at  once  or  in  different  remembered 
moods,  and  to  find  the  point  in  which  their  invisibly  con- 

I  verging  lines  would  unite  in  one,  revealing  a  truth  higher 
than  either  and  differing  from  both,  though  so  far  from 
being  opposed  to  either,  that  it  was  that  whence  each  de- 

;  rived  its  life  and  power.  Or,  if  the  book  was  one  of  trav- 
els, I.  found  myself  the  traveller.  New  lands,  fresh  expe- 
riences, novel  customs,  rose  around  me.     I  walked,  I  dis- 

'  covered,  I  fought,  I  suffered,  I  rejoiced  in  my  success. 
Was  it  a  history  ?  I  was  the  chief  actor  therein.  I  suf- 
fered my  own  blame ;  I  was  glad  in  my  own  praise.     With 

'  a  fiction  it  was  the  same.     Mine  was  the  whole  story ;  for 

,  I  took  the  place  of  the  character  who  was  most  like  myself, 
and  his  story  was  mine ;  until,  grown  weary  with  the  life 
of  years  condensed  in  an  hour,  or  arrived  at  my  death-bed, 
or  the   end  of  the  volume.  I  would  awake,  with  a  sudden 


118  PHANTASIES  : 

bewilderment,  to  the  consciousness  of  my  present  life,  rec- 
ognizing the  walls  and  roof  around  me,  and  finding  I  joyed 
or  sorrowed  only  in  a  book.  If  the  book  was  a  poem,  the 
words  disappeared,  or  took  the  subordinate  position  of  an 
accompaniment  to  the  succession  of  forms  and  images  that 
rose  and  vanished  with  a  soundless  rhythm  and  a  hidden 
rhyme. 

In  one,  with  a  mystical  title,  which  I  cannot  recall,  I 
read  of  a  world  that  is  not  like  ours.  The  wondrous 
account,  in  such  a  feeble,  fragmentary  way  as  is  possible  to 
me,  I  would  willingly  impart.  Whether  or  not  it  was  all 
a  poem  I  cannot  tell ;  but,  from  the  impulse  I  felt,  when  I 
first  contemplated  writing  it,  to  break  into  rhyme,  to 
which  impulse  I  shall  give  way  if  it  comes  upon  me  again, 
I  think  it  must  have  been,  partly  at  least,  in  verse. 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  119 


XII. 

Chained  is  the  Spring.     The  night-wind  bold 

Blows  over  the  hard  earth ; 
Time  is  not  more  confused  and  cold, 

Nor  keeps  more  wintry  mirth. 

Yet  blow,  and  roll  the  world  about-; 

Blow,  Time  —  blow,  winter's  Wind ! 
Through  chinks  of  Time  heaven  peepeth  out, 
And  Spring  the  frost  behind. 

G.  E.  M. 

They  who  believe  in  the  influences  of  the  stars  over  the 
fates  of  men  are,  in  feeling  at  least,  nearer  the  truth  than 
they  who  regard  the  heavenly  bodies  as  related  to  them 
merely  by  a  common  obedience  to  an  external  law.  All 
that  man  sees  has  to  do  with  man.  Worlds  cannot  be 
without  an  inteiynundane  relationship.  The  community  of 
the  centre  of  all  creation  suggests  an  interradiating  connec- 
tion and  dependence  of  the  parts.  Else  a  grander  idea  is 
conceivable  than  that  which  is  already  embodied.  The 
blank,  which  is  only  a  forgotten  life  lying  behind  the  con- 
sciousness, and  the  misty  splendor,  which  is  an  undevel- 
oped life  lying  before  it,  may  be  full  of  mysterious  revela- 
tions of  other  connections  with  the  worlds  around  us  than 


120  PHANTASTES  .' 

those  of  science  and  poetry.  No  shining  belt  or  gleaming 
moon,  no  red  and  green  glory  in  a  self-encircling  twin-star, 
but  has  a  relation  with  the  hidden  things  of  a  man's  soul, 
and,  it  may  be,  with  the  secret  history  of  his  body  as  well. 
They  are  portions  of  the  living  house  wherein  he  abides. 

' '  Through  the  realms  of  the  monarch  Sun 
Creeps  a  world,  whose  course  had  begun, 
On  a  weary  path  with  a  weary  pace. 
Before  the  Earth  sprang  forth  on  her  race : 
But  many  a  time  the  Earth  had  sped 
Around  the  path  she  still  must  tread, 
Ere  the  elder  planet,  on  leaden  wing, 
Once  circled  the  court  of  the  planet's  king. 

"  There,  in  that  lonely  and  distant  star. 
The  seasons  are  not  as  our  seasons  are ; 
But  many  a  year  path  Autumn  to  dress 
The  trees  in  their  matron  loveliness ; 
As  long  hath  old  "Winter  in  triumph  to  go 
O'er  beauties  dead  in  his  vaults  below ; 
And  many  a  year  the  Spring  doth  wear, 
Combing  the  icicles  from  her  hair ; 
And  Summer,  dear  Summer,  hath  years  of  June, 
With  large  white  clouds,  and  cool  showers  at  noon ; 
And  a  beauty  that  grows  to  a  weight  like  grief. 
Till  a  burst  of  tears  is  the  heart's  relief. 

"  Children,  born  when  Winter  is  king, 
May  never  rejoice  in  the  hoping  Spring ; 
Though  their  own  heart-buds  are  bursting  with  joy, 
And  the  child  hath  grown  to  the  girl  or  boy ; 
But  may  die  with  cold  and  icy  hours 
Watching  them  ever  in  place  of  flowers. 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  121 

And  some  who  awake  from  their  primal  sleep, 

When  the  sighs  of  Summer  through  forests  creep, 

Live,  and  love,  and  are  loved  again; 

Seek  for  pleasure,  and  find  its  pain ; 

Sink  to  their  last,  their  forsaken  sleeping, 

With  the  same  sweet  odors  around  them  creeping." 

Now  the  children,  there,  are  not  born  as  the  children  are 
born  in  worlds  nearer  to  the  sun ;  for  they  arrive  no  one 
knows  how.  A  maiden,  walking  alone,  hears  a  cry ;  for 
even  there  a  cry  is  the  first  utterance ;  and,  searching 
about,  she  findeth,  under  an  overhanging  rock,  or  within  a 
clump  of  bushes,  or,  it  may  be,  betwixt  gray  stones  on  the 
side  of  a  hill,  or  in  any  other  sheltered  and  unexpected 
spot,  a  little  child.  This  she  taketh  tenderly,  and  beareth 
home  with  joy,  calling  out,  "  Mother  !  mother  !  "  —  if  so 
be  that  her  mother  lives —  "  I  have  got  a  baby  —  I  have 
found  a  child!"  All  the  household  gathers  round  to 
see:  ^- Where  is  it?  What  is  it  like?  WJiere  did 
you  find  it?^''  and  such-like  questions  abounding.  And 
thereupon  she  relates  the  whole  story  of  the  discovery ;  for 
by  the  circumstances,  such  as  season  of  the  year,  time  of 
the  day,  condition  of  the  air,  and  such  like,  and,  especially, 
the  peculiar  and  never-repeated  aspect  of  the  heavens  and 
earth  at  the  time,  and  the  nature  of  the  place  of  shelter 
wherein  it  is  found,  is  determined,  or  at  least  indicated,  the 
nature  of  the  child  thus  discovered.  Therefore,  at  certain 
seasons,  and  in  certain  states  of  the  weather,  according,  in 


122  PHANTASIES : 

part,  to  their  own  fancj,  the  young  women  go  out  to  look 
for  children.  They  generally  avoid  seeking  them,  though 
they  cannot  help  sometimes  finding  them,  in  places  and 
with  circumstances  uncongenial  to  their  peculiar  likings. 
But  no  sooner  is  a  child  found  than  its  claim  for  protec- 
tion and  nurture  obliterates  all  feeling  of  choice  in  the 
matter.  Chiefly,  however,  in  the  season  of  summer, 
which  lasts  so  long,  coming  as  it  does  after  such  long  inter- 
vals, and  mostly  in  the  warm  evenings  about  the  middle 
of  twilight,  and  principally  in  the  woods  and  along  the 
river-banks,  do  the  maidens  go  looking  for  children,  just  as 
children  look  for  flowers.  And  ever  as  the  child  grows, 
yea,  more  and  more  as  he  advances  in  years,  will  his  face 
indicate  to  those  who  understand  the  spirit  of  nature,  and 
her  utterances  in  the  face  of  the  world,  the  nature  of  the 
place  of  his  birth,  and  the  other  circumstances  thereof; 
whether  a  clear  morning  sun  guided  his  mother  to  the  nook 
whence  issued  the  boy's  low  cry,  or  at  eve  the  lonely 
maiden  (for  the  same  woman  never  finds  a  second,  at  least 
while  the  first  lives)  discovers  the  girl  by  the  glimmer  of 
her  white  skin,  lying  in  a  nest,  like  that  of  the  lark,  amid 
long  encircling  grasses,  and  the  upward-gazing  eyes  of  the 
lowly  daisies ;  whether  the  storm  bowed  the  forest-trees 
around,  or  the  still  frost  fixed  in  silence  the  else  flowing 
and  babbling  stream. 

After  they  grow  up.  the  men  and  women  are  but  little 
together.     There  is  this  peculiar  difference  between  them, 


A    FAERIE   ROMANCE.  123 

which  likewise  distinguishes  the  women  from  those  of  the 
earth.  The  men  alone  have  arms  ;  the  women  have  only 
wings.  Eesplendent  wings  are  they,  wherein  they  can 
shroud  themselves  from  head  to  foot  in  a  panoply  of  glister- 
ing glory.  By  these  wings  alone,  it  may  frequently  be 
judged  in  what  seasons  and  under  what  aspects  they  were 
born.  From  those  that  came  in  winter  go  great  white 
wings,  white  as  snow,  the  edge  of  every  feather  shining 
like  the  sheen  of  silver,  so  that  they  flash  and  glitter  like 
frost  in  the  sun;  but  underneath  they  are  tinged  with  a 
faint  pink  or  rose-color.  Those  born  in  spring  have  wings 
of  a  brilliant  green,  green  as  grass ;  and  towards  the  edges 
the  feathers  are  enamelled  like  the  surface  of  the  grass- 
blades.  These  again  are  white  within.  Those  that  are 
born  in  summer  have  wings  of  a  deep  rose-color,  lined  Avith 
pale  gold.  And  those  born  in  autumn  have  purple  wings, 
with  a  rich  brown  on  the  inside.  But  these  colors  are 
modified  and  altered  in  all  varieties,  corresponding  to  the 
mood  of  the  day  and  hour,  as  well  as  the  season  of  the 
year ;  and  sometimes  I  found  the  various  colors  so  inter- 
mingled that  I  could  not  determine  even  the  season, 
though  doubtless  the  hieroglyphic  could  be  deciphered  by 
more  experienced  eyes.  One  splendor,  in  particular,  I 
remember,  —  wings  of  deep  carmine,  with  an  inner  down 
of  warm  gray,  around  a  form  of  brilliant  whiteness.  She 
had  been  found  as  the  sun  went  down  through  a  low  sea-fof; 


124  PHANTASTES : 

casting  crimson  along  a  broad  sea-path  into  a  little  cave  on 
the  shore,  "where  a  bathing  maiden  saw  her  lying. 

But  though  I  speak  of  sun  and  fog,  and  sea  and  shore, 
the  world  there  is  in  some  respects  very  different  from  the 
earth  whereon  men  live.  For  instance,  the  waters  reflect 
no  forms.  To  the  unaccustomed  eye  they  appear,  if  undis- 
turbed, like  the  surface  of  a  dark  metal,  only  that  the 
latter  would  reflect  indistinctly,  whereas  they  reflect  not  at 
all,  except  light  which  falls  immediately  upon  them.  This 
has  a  great  effect  in  causing  the  landscapes  to  differ  from 
those  on  the  earth.  On  the  stillest  evening,  no  tall  ship 
on  the  sea  sends  a  long  wavering  reflection  almost  to  the 
feet  of  him  on  the  shore ;  the  face  of  no  maiden  brightens 
at  its  own  beauty  in  a  still  forest-well.  The  sun  and  moon 
alone  make  a  glitter  on  the  surface.  The  sea  is  like  a  sea 
of  death,  ready  to  ingulf  and  never  to  reveal  :  a  visible 
shadow  of  oblivion.  Yet  the  women  sport  in  its  waters  like 
gorgeous  sea-birds.  The  men  more  rarely  enter  them. 
But,  on  the  contrary,  the  sky  reflects  everything  beneath 
it,  as  if  it  were  built  of  waters  like  ours.  Of  course,  from 
its  concavity  there  is  some  distortion  of  the  reflected  ob- 
jects ;  yet  wondrous  combinations  of  forms  are  often  to  be 
seen  in  the  overhanging  depth.  And  then  it  is  not  shaped 
so  much  like  a  round  dome  as  the  sky  of  the  earth,  but, 
more  of  an  egg-shape,  rises  to  a  great,  towering  height  in 
the  middle,  appearing  far  more  lofty  than  the  other.  When 
the   stars   come   out   at  night,  it  shows  a  mighty  cupola, 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  125 

"fretted  with  golden  fires,"  wherein  there  is  room  for  all 
tempests  to  rush  and  rave. 

One  evening  in  early  summer,  I  stood  with  a  group  of 
men  and  women  on  a  steep  rock  that  overhung  the  sea. 
They  were  all  questioning  me  about  my  world  and  the 
ways  thereof.  In  making  reply  to  one  of  their  questions, 
I  was  compelled  to  say  that  children  are  not  born  in  the 
Earth  as  with  them.  Upon  this  I  was  assailed  with  a 
whole  battery  of  inquiries,  which  at  first  I  tried  to  avoid ; 
but  at  last  I  was  compelled,  in  the  vaguest  manner  I  could 
invent,  to  make  some  approach  to  the  subject  in  question. 
Immediately  a  dim  notion  of  what  I  meant  seemed  to 
dawn  in  the  minds  of  most  of  the  women.  Some  of  them 
folded  their  great  wings  all  around  them,  as  they  generally 
do  when  in  the  least  offended,  and  stood  erect  and  motion- 
less. One  spread  out  her  rosy  pinions,  and  flashed  from 
the  promontory  into  the  gulf  at  its  foot.  A  great  light 
shone  in  the  eyes  of  one  maiden,  who  turned  and  walked 
slowly  away,  with  her  purple  and  white  wings  half  dis- 
pread  behind  her.  She  was  found  the  next  morning,  dead 
beneath  a  withered  tree,  on  a  bare  hill-side,  some  miles 
inland.  They  buried  her  where  she  lay,  as  is  their  cus- 
tom ;  for,  before  they  die,  they  instinctively  search  for  a 
spot  like  the  place  of  their  birth,  and,  having  found  one 
that  satisfies  them,  they  lie  down,  fold  their  wings  around 
them,  if  they  be  women,  or  cross  their  arms  over  their 
breasts,  if  they  are  men,  just  as  if  they  were  going  to  sleep  ; 


126  PHANTASIES : 

and  so  sleep  indeed.  The  sign  or  cause  of  coming  death  is 
an  indescribable  longing  for  something,  they  know  not 
what,  which  seizes  them,  and  drives  them  into  solitude,  con- 
suming them  within  till  the  body  fails.  When  a  youth 
and  a  maiden  look  too  deep  into  each  other's  eyes,  this 
longing  seizes  and  possesses  them ;  but  instead  of  drawing 
nearer  to  each  other,  they  wander  away,  each  alone,  into 
solitary  places,  and  die  of  their  desire.  But  it  seems  to 
me  that  thereafter  they  are  born  babes  upon  our  earth  ; 
where  if,  when  grown,  they  find  each  other,  it  goes  well 
with  them ;  if  not,  it  will  seem  to  go  ill.  But  of  this  I 
kiiow  nothing.  When  I  told  them  that  the  women  on  the 
Earth  had  not  wings  like  them,  but  arms,  they  stared,  and 
said  how  bold  and  masculine  they  must  look  ;  not  knowing 
that  their  wings,  glorious  as  they  are,  are  but  undeveloped 
arms. 

But  see  the  power  of  this  book,  that,  while  recounting 
what  I  can  recall  of  its  contents,  I  write  as  if  myself  had 
visited  the  far-off  planet,  learned  its  ways  and  appearances, 
and  conversed  with  its  men  and  women.  And  so,  while 
'writing,  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  had. 

The  book  goes  on  with  the  story  of  a  maiden,  who,  born 
at  the  close  of  autumn,  and  living  in  a  long,  to  her  endless, 
winter,  set  out  at  last  to  find  the  regions  of  spring ;  for,  as 
in  our  earth,  the  seasons  are  divided  over  the  globe.  It 
begins  something  like  this  :  — 


A   FAEKIE   ROMANCE.  127 

"  She  watched  them  dying  for  many  a  day, 
Dropping  from  off  the  old  trees  away, 
One  by  one ;  or  else  in  a  shower 
Crowding  over  the  withered  flower. 
For,  as  if  they  had  done  some  grievous  wrong, 
The  sun,  that  had  nursed  them  and  loved  them  so  long, 
Grew  weary  of  loving,  and,  turning  back. 
Hastened  away  on  his  southern  track ; 
And  helplessly  hung  each  shrivelled  leaf, 
Faded  away  with  an  idle  grief. 
And  the  gusts  of  wind,  sad  Autumn's  sighs, 
Mournfully  swept  through  their  families ; 
Casting  away  with  a  helpless  teoan 
All  that  he  yet  might  call  his  own. 
As  the  child,  when  his  bird  is  gone  forever, 
Flingeth  the  cage  on  the  wandering  river. 
And  the  giant  trees,  as  bare  as  Death, 
Slowly  bowed  to  the  great  Wind's  breath. 
And  groaned  with  trying  to  keep  from  groaning 
Amidst  the  young  trees  bending  and  moaning. 
And  the  ancient  planet's  mighty  sea 
Was  heaving  and  falling  most  restlessly, 
And  the  tops  of  the  waves  were  broken  and  white, 
Tossing  about  to  ease  their  might ; 
And  the  river  was  striving  to  reach  the  main, 
And  the  ripple  was  hurrying  back  again. 
Nature  lived  in  sadness  now ; 
Sadness  lived  on  the  maiden's  brow, 
As  she  watched,  with  a  fixed,  half-conscious  eye. 
One  lonely  leaf  that  trembled  on  high, 
Till  it  dropped  at  last  from  the  desolate  bough ; 
Sorrow,  oh,  sorrow !  'tis  winter  now. 
And  her  tears  gushed  forth,  though  it  was  but  a  leaf. 
For  little  will  loose  the  swollen  fountain  of  grief: 


128  PHANTASTES : 

When  up  to  the  lip  the  water  goes, 
It  needs  but  a  drop,  and  it  overflows. 

"  Oh !  many  and  many  a  dreary  year 
Must  pass  away  ere  the  buds  appear ; 
Many  a  night  of  darksome  sorrow 
Yield  to  the  light  of  a  joyless  morrow, 
Ere  birds  again,  on  the  clothed  trees, 
Shall  fill  the  branches  with  melodies. 
She  will  dream  of  meadows  with  wakeful  streams ; 
Of  wavy  grass  in  the  sunny  beams ; 
Of  hidden  wells  that  soundless  spring. 
Hoarding  their  joy  as  a  holy  thing; 
Of  founts  that  tell  it  all  day  long 
To  the  listening  woods,  with  exultant  song ; 
She  will  dream  of  evenings  that  die  into  nights, 
Where  each  sense  is  filled  with  its  own  delights, 
And  the  soul  is  still  as  the  vaulted  sky. 
Lulled  with  an  inner  harmony ; 
And  the  flowers  give  out  to  the  dewy  night, 
Changed  into  perfume,  the  gathered  light ; 
And  the  darkness  sinks  upon  all  their  host. 
Till  the  sun  sail  up  on  the  eastern  coast ; 
She  will  wake  and  see  the  branches  bare. 
Weaving  a  net  in  the  frozen  air." 

The  story  goes  on  to  tell  how,  at  last,  weary  with 
wintriness,  she  travelled  towards  the  southern  regions  of 
her  globe,  to  meet  the  spring  on  its  slow  way  northwards ; 
and  how,  after  many  sad  adventures,  many  disappointed 
hopes,  and  many  tears,  bitter  and  fruitless,  she  found  at 
last,  one  stormy  afternoon,  in  a  leafless  forest,  a  single 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  129 

snow-drop  growing  betwixt  the  borders  of  the  winter  and 
spring.  She  lay  down  beside  it  and  died.  I  almost 
believe  that  a  child,  pale  and  peaceful  as  a  snow-drop,  was 
born  in  the  Earth  within  a  fixed  season  from  that  stormy 
afternoon. 


130  PHANTASIES  : 


XIII. 

I  saw  a  ship  sailing  upon  the  sea, 
Deeply  laden  as  ship  could  be ; 
But  not  so  deep  as  in  love  I  am, 
For  I  care  not  whether  I  sink  or  swim. 

Old  Ballad. 


But  Love  is  such  a  Mystery 

I  cannot  find  it  out : 
For  when  I  think  I'm  best  resolved, 

I  then  am  in  most  doubt. 

SiK  John  Suckling. 

One  story  I  "will  try  to  reproduce.  But,  alas !  it  is 
like  trying  to  reconstruct  a  forest  out  of  broken  branches 
and  ■withered  leaves.  In  the  fairy  book,  everything  "was 
just  as  it  should  be,  though  "whether  in  "words  or  something 
else,  I  cannot  tell.  It  glo"wed  and  flashed  the  thoughts 
upon  the  soul,  with  such  a  power  that  the  medium  disap- 
peared from  the  consciousness,  and  it  was  occupied  only 
with  the  things  themselves.  My  representation  of  it  must 
resemble  a  translation  from  a  rich  and  powerful  language, 
capable  of  embodying  the  thoughts  of  a  splendidly  devel- 
oped people,  into  the  meagre  and  half-articulate  speech  of 
a  savage  tribe.     Of  course,  while  I  read  it,  I  was  Cosmo, 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  131 

and  his  history  was  mine.  Yet  all  the  time  I  seemed  to 
have  a  kind  of  double  consciousness,  and  the  story  a  double 
meaning.  Sometimes  it  seemed  only  to  represent  a  simple 
story  of  ordinary  life,  perhaps  almost  of  universal  life ; 
wherein  two  souls,  loving  each  other  and  longing  to  come 
nearer,  do,  after  all,  but  behold  each  other  as  in  a  glass 
darkly. 

As  through  the  hard  rock  go  the  branchino^  silver  veins  ; 
as  into  the  solid  land  run  the  creeks  and  gulfs  from  the 
unresting  sea ;  as  the  lights  and  influences  of  the  upper 
worlds  sink  silently  through  the  earth's  atmosphere  ;  so 
doth  Faerie  invade  the  world  of  men,  and  sometimes  startle 
the  common  eye  with  an  association  as  of  cause  and  effect, 
when  between  the  two  no  connecting  links  can  be  traced. 

Cosmo  von  Wehrstahl  was  a  student  at  the  University 
of  Prague.  Though  of  a  noble  family,  he  was  poor,  and 
prided  himself  upon  the  independence  that  poverty  gives  ; 
for  what  will  not  a  man  pride  himself  upon,  when  he 
cannot  get  rid  of  it  ?  A  favorite  with  his  fellow-students, 
he  yet  had  no  companions ;  and  none  of  them  had  ever 
crossed  the  threshold  of  his  lodging  in  the  top  of  one  of 
the  highest  houses  in  the  old  town.  Indeed,  the  secret  of 
much  of  that  complaisance  which  recommended  him  to  his 
fellows  was  the  thought  of  his  unknown  retreat,  whither 
in  the  evening  he  could  betake  himself,  and  indulge  undis- 
turbed in  his  own  studies  and   reveries.     These   studies, 


132  PHANTASTES: 

besides  those  subjects  necessary  to  his  course  at  the  Univer- 
sity, embraced  some  less  commonly  known  and  approved ; 
for  in  a  secret  drawer  lay  the  works  of  Albertus  Magnus 
and  Cornelius  Agrippa,  along  with  others  less  read  and 
more  abstruse.  As  yet,  however,  he  had  followed  these 
researches  only  from  curiosity,  and  had  turned  them  to  no 
practical  purpose. 

His  lodging  consisted  of  one  large,  low-ceiled  room, 
singularly  bare  of  furniture ;  for  besides  a  couple  of 
wooden  chairs,  a  couch  which  served  for  dreaming  on  both 
by  day  and  night,  and  a  great  press  of  black  oak,  there 
was  very  little  in  the  room  that  could  be  called  furniture. 
But  curious  instruments  were  heaped  in  the  corners  ;  and 
in  one  stood  a  skeleton,  half-leaning  against  the  wall,  half- 
supported  by  a  string  about  its  neck.  One  of  its  hands, 
all  of  fingers,  rested  on  the  heavy  pommel  of  a  great  sword 
that  stood  beside  it.  Various  weapons  were  scattered  about 
over  the  floor.  The  walls  were  utterly  bare  of  adornment ; 
for  the  few  strange  things,  such  as  a  large  dried  bat  with 
its  wings  dispread,  the  skin  of  a  porcupine,  and  a  stufied 
sea-mouse,  could  hardly  be  reckoned  as  such.  But, 
although  his  fancy  delighted  in  vagaries  like  these,  he 
indulged  his  imagination  with  far  dijBFerent  fare.  His  mind 
had  never  yet  been  filled  with  an  absorbing  passion ;  but 
it  lay  like  a  still  twilight  open  to  any  wind,  whether  the 
low  breath  that  wafts  but  odors,  or  the  storm  that  bows 
the  great  trees  till  they  strain  and  creak.     He  saw  every- 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  133 

thing  as  through  a  rose-colored  glass.  When  he  looked 
from  his  window  on  the  street  below,  not  a  maiden  passed 
but  she  moved  as  in  a  story,  and  drew  his  thoughts  after 
her  till  she  disappeared  in  the  vista.  When  he  walked  in 
the  streets,  he  always  felt  as  if  reading  a  tale,  into  which 
he  sought  to  weave  every  face  of  interest  that  went  by ; 
and  every  sweet  voice  swept  his  soul  as  with  the  wing  of  a 
passing  angel.  He  was  in  fact  a  poet  without  words  ;  the 
more  absorbed  and  endangered,  that  the  springing  waters 
were  dammed  back  into  his  soul,  where,  finding  no  utter- 
ance, they  grew,  and  swelled,  and  undermined.  He  used 
to  lie  on  his  hard  couch,  and  read  a  tale  or  a  poem  till  the 
book  dropped  from  his  hand ;  but  he  dreamed  on,  he  knew 
not  whether  awake  or  asleep,  until  the  opposite  roof  grew 
upon  his  sense,  and  turned  golden  in  the  sunrise.  Then 
he  arose  too;  and  the  impulses  of  vigorous  youth  kept 
him  ever  active,  either  in  study  or  in  sport,  until  again  the 
close  of  the  day  left  him  free,  and  the  world  of  night, 
which  had  lain  drowned  in  the  cataract  of  the  day,  rose  up 
in  his  soul,  with  all  its  stars  and  dim-seen  phantom 
shapes.  But  this  could  hardly  last  long.  Some  one  form 
must  sooner  or  later  step  within  the  charmed  circle,  enter 
the  house  of  life,  and  compel  the  bewildered  magician  to 
kneel  and  worship. 

One  afternoon,  towards  dusk,  he  was  wandering  dreamily 
in  one  of  the  principal  streets,  when  a  fellow-student 
roused  him  by  a  slap  on  the  shoulder,  and  asked  him  to 


lo4  PHANTASTES: 

accompany  him  into  a  little  back  alley  to  look  at  some  old 
armor  which  he  had  taken  a  fancy  to  possess.  Cosmo  was 
considered  an  authority  in  every  matter  pertaining  to  arms, 
ancient  or  modern.  In  the  use  of  weapons,  none  of  the 
students  could  come  near  him ;  and  his  practical  acquaint- 
ance with  some  had  principally  contributed  to  establish  his 
authority  in  reference  to  all.  He  accompanied  him  will- 
ingly. They  entered  a  narrow  alley,  and  thence  a  dirty 
little  court,  where  a  low  arched  door  admitted  them  into  a 
heterogeneous  assemblage  of  everything  musty,  and  dusty, 
and  old,  that  could  well  be  imagined.  His  verdict  on  the 
armor  was  satisfactory,  and  his  companion  at  once  con- 
cluded the  purchase.  As  they  were  leaving  the  place, 
Cosmo's  eye  was  attracted  by  an  old  mirror,  of  an  elliptical 
shape,  which  leaned  against  the  wall,  covered  with  dust. 
Around  it  was  some  curious  carving,  which  he  could  see 
but  very  indistinctly  by  the  glimmering  light  which  the 
owner  of  the  shop  carried  in  his  hand.  It  was  this  carving 
that  attracted  his  attention  ;  at  least  so  it  appeared  to  him. 
He  left  the  place,  however,  with  his  friend,  taking  no 
further  notice  of  it.  They  walked  together  to  the  main 
street,  where  they  parted  and  took  opposite  directions. 

No  sooner  was  Cosmo  left  alone  than  the  thought  of  the 
curious  old  mirror  returned  to  him.  A  strong  desire  to 
see  it  more  plainly  arose  within  him,  and  he  directed  his 
steps  once  more  towards  the  shop.  The  owner  opened  the 
door  when  he  knocked,  as  if  he  had  expected  him.     He  was 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  135 

a  little,  old,  withered  man,  with  a  hooked  nose,  and  burn- 
ing eyes  constantly  in  a  slow,  restless  motion,  and  looking 
here  and  there  as  if  after  something  that  eluded  them. 
Pretending  to  examine  several  other  articles,  Cosmo  at  last 
approached  the  mirror,  and  requested  to  have  it  taken 
down. 

"Take  it  down  yourself,  master;  I  cannot  reach  it," 
said  the  old  man. 

Cosmo  took  it  down  carefully,  when  he  saw  that  the 
carving  was  indeed  delicate  and  costly,  being  both  of  ad- 
mirable design  and  execution,  containing  withal  many 
devices  which  seemed  to  embody  some  meaning  to  which  he 
had  no  clue.  This,  naturally,  in  one  of  his  tastes  and  tem- 
perament, increased  the  interest  he  felt  in  the  old  mirror ; 
so  much,  indeed,  that  he  now  longed  to  possess  it,  in  order 
to  study  its  frame  at  his  leisure.  He  pretended,  however, 
to  want  it  only  for  use ;  and  saying  he  feared  the  plate 
could  be  of  little  service,  as  it  was  rather  old,  he  brushed 
away  a  little  of  the  dust  from  its  face,  expecting  to  see  a 
dull  reflection  within.  His  surprise  was  great  when  he 
found  the  reflection  brilliant,  revealing  a  glass  not  only 
uninjured  by  age,  but  wondrously  clear  and  perfect 
(should  the  whole  correspond  to  this  part),  even  for  one 
newly  from  the  hands  of  the  maker.  He  asked  carelessly 
what  the  owner  wanted  for  the  thing.  The  old  man  replied 
by  mentioning  a  sum  of  money  far  beyond  the  reach  of  poor 


136  PHANTASTES : 

Cosmo,  who  proceeded  to  replace  the  mirror  where  it  had 
stood  before. 

'•  You  think  the  price  too  high?  "  said  the  old  man. 

"  I  do  not  know  that  it  is  too  much  for  you  to  ask," 
replied  Cosmo  ;   "  but  it  is  far  too  much  for  me  to  give." 

The  old  man  held  up  his  light  towards  Cosmo's  face. 
"I  like  your  look,"  said  he. 

Cosmo  could  not  return  the  compliment.  In  fact,  now 
he  looked  closely  at  him  for  the  first  time,  he  felt  a  kind  of 
repugnance  to  him,  mingled  with  a  strange  feeling  of  doubt 
whether  a  man  or  a  woman  stood  before  him. 

"  What  is  your  name?  "  he  continued. 

"  Cosmo  von  TVehrstahl." 

"Ah,  ah!  I  thought  as  much.  I  see  your  father  in 
you.  I  knew  your  father  very  well,  young  sir.  I  dare 
say,  in  some  odd  corners  of  my  house,  you  might  find  some 
old  things  with  his  crest  and  cipher  upon  them  still.  Well, 
I  like  you ;  you  shall  have  the  mirror  at  the  fourth  part  of 
what  I  asked  for  it ;  but  upon  one  condition." 

"What  is  that?"  said  Cosmo;  for,  although  the  price 
was  still  a  great  deal  for  him  to  give,  he  could  just  manage 
it  ■;  and  the  desire  to  possess  the  mirror  had  increased  to  an 
altogether  unaccountable  degree  since  it  had  seemed  be- 
yond his  reach. 

"That  if  you  should  ever  want  to  get  rid  of  it  again, 
you  will  let  me  have  the  first  oflfer." 


A   FAEEIE   ROMANCE.  137 

"Certainly,"  replied  Cosmo,  with  a  smile;  adding,  "a 
moderate  condition  indeed." 

"  On  your  honor?  "  insisted  the  seller. 

"  On  my  honor  !  "  said  the  buyer  ;  and  the  bargain  was 
concluded. 

"I  will  carry  it  home  for  you,"  said  the  old  man,  as 
Cosmo  took  it  in  his  hands. 

"  No,  no ;  I  will  carry  it  myself,"  said  he ;  for  he  had  a 
peculiar  dislike  to  revealing  his  residence  to  any  one,  and 
more  especially  to  this  person,  to  whom  he  felt  every  mo- 
ment a  greater  antipathy. 

"Just  as  you  please,"  said  the  old  creature,  and  mut- 
tered to  himself  as  he  held  his  light  at  the  door  to  show 
him  out  of  the  court :  "  Sold  for  the  sixth  time  !  I  wonder 
what  will  be  the  upshot  of  it  this  time.  I  should  think  my 
lady  had  enough  of  it  by  now  !  " 

Cosmo  carried  his  prize  carefully  home.  But  all  the 
way  he  had  an  uncomfortable  feeling  that  he  was  watched 
and  dogged.  Repeatedly  he  looked  about,  but  saw  nothing 
to  justify  his  suspicions.  Indeed,  the  streets  were  too 
ill-lighted  to  expose  very  readily  a  careful  spy,  if  such 
there  should  be  at  his  heels.  He  reached  his  lodging  in 
safety,  and  leaned  his  purchase  against  the  wall,  rather 
relieved,  strong  as  he  was,  to  be  rid  of  its  weight ;  then, 
lighting  his  pipe,  threw  himself  on  the  couch,  and  was  soon 
lapped  in  the  folds  of  one  of  his  haunting  dreams. 

He  returned  home  earlier  than  usual  the  next  day,  and 


138  PHANTASTES  : 

fixed  the  mirror  to  the  wall,  over  the  hearth,  at  one  end  of 
his  long  room.  He  then  carefully  wiped  away  the  dust 
from  its  face,  and,  clear  as  the  water  of  a  sunny  spring,  the 
mirror  shone  out  from  beneath  the  envious  covering.  But 
his  interest  was  chiefly  occupied  with  the  curious  carving 
of  the  frame.  This  he  cleaned  as  well  as  he  could  with  a 
brush ;  and  then  he  proceeded  to  a  minute  examination  of 
its  various  parts,  in  the  hope  of  discovering  some  index  to 
the  intention  of  the  carver.  In  this,  however,  he  was 
unsuccessful ;  and,  at  length,  pausing  with  some  weariness 
and  disappointment,  he  gazed  vacantly  for  a  few  moments 
into  the  depth  of  the  reflected  room.  But  ere  long  he  said, 
half  aloud,  "What  a  strange  thing  a  mirror  is  !  and  what 
a  wondrous  affinity  exists  between  it  and  a  man's  imagi- 
nation !  For  this  room  of  mine,  as  I  behold  it  in  the  glass, 
is  the  same,  and  yet  not  the  same.  It  is  not  the  mere  rep- 
resentation of  the  room  I  live  in,  but  it  looks  just  as  if  I 
were  reading  about  it  in  a  story  I  like.  All  its  common- 
ness has  disappeared.  The  mirror  has  lifted  it  out  of  the 
region  of  fact  into  the  realm  of  art ;  and  the  very  represent- 
ing of  it  to  me  has  clothed  with  interest  that  which  was 
otherwise  hard  and  bare ;  just  as  one  sees  with  delight 
upon  the  stage  the  representation  of  a  character  from  which 
one  would  escape  in  life  as  from  something  unendurably 
wearisome.  But  is  it  not  rather  that  art  rescues  nature 
from  the  weary  ■  and  sated  regards  of  our  senses,  and  the 
degrading  injustice  of  our   anxious  every-day   life,    and, 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  139 

appealing  to  the  imagination,  which  dwells  apart,  reveals 
nature  in  some  degree  as  she  really  is,  and  as  she  repre- 
sents herself  to  the  eye  of  the  child,  whose  every-day  life, 
fearless  and  unambitious,  meets  the  true  import  of  the 
wonder-teeming  world  around  him,  and  rejoices  therein 
without  questioning  ?  That  skeleton,  now,  —  I  almost  fear 
it,  standing  there  so  still,  with  eyes  only  for  the  unseen, 
like  a  watch-tower  looking  across  all  the  waste  of  this  busy 
world  into  the  quiet  regions  of  rest  beyond.  And  yet  I 
know  every  bone  and  every  joint  in  it  as  well  as  my  own 
fist.  And  that  old  battle-axe  looks  as  if  any  moment  it 
might  be  caught  up  by  a  mailed  hand,  and,  borne  forth  by 
the  mighty  arm,  go  crushing  through  casque,  and  skull, 
and  brain,  invading  the  Unknown  with  yet  another  be- 
wildered ghost.  I  should  like  to  live  in  that  room  if  I 
could  only  get  into  it." 

Scarcely  had  the  half-moulded  words  floated  from  him, 
as  he  stood  gazing  into  the  mirror,  when,  striking  him  as 
with  a  flash  of  amazement  that  fixed  him  in  his  posture, 
noiseless  and  unannounced,  glided  suddenly  through  the 
door  into  the  reflected  room,  with  stately  motion,  yet  re- 
luctant and  faltering  step,  the  graceful  form  of  a  woman, 
clothed  all  in  white.  Her  back  only  was  visible  as  she 
walked  slowly  up  to  the  couch  in  the  further  end  of  the 
room,  on  which  she  laid  herself  Avearily,  turning  towards 
him  a  face  of  unutterable  loveliness,  in  which  sufiering,  and 
dislike,  and  a  sense  of  compulsion,  strangely  mingled  with 


140  PHANTASTES : 

the  beauty.  He  stood  without  the  power  of  motion  for 
some  moments,  with  his  eyes  irrecoverably  fixed  upon  her ; 
and,  even  after  he  was  conscious  of  the  ability  to  move,  he 
could  not  summon  up  courage  to  turn  and  look  on  her,  face 
to  face,  in  the  veritable  chamber  in  which  he  stood.  At 
length,  with  a  sudden  effort,  in  which  the  exercise  of  the 
will  was  so  pure  that  it  seemed  involuntary,  he  turned  his 
face  to  the  couch.  It  was  vacant.  In  bewilderment, 
mingled  with  terror,  he  turned  again  to  the  mirror  ;  there, 
on  the  reflected  couch,  lay  the  exquisite  lady-form.  She 
lay  with  closed  eyes,  whence  two  large  tears  were  just  well- 
ing from  beneath  the  veiling  lids ;  still  as  death,  save  for 
the  convulsive  motion  of  her  bosom. 

Cosmo  himself  could  not  have  described  what  he  felt. 
His  emotions  were  of  a  kind  that  destroyed  consciousness, 
and  could  never  be  clearly  recalled.  He  could  not  help 
standing  yet  by  the  mirror,  and  keeping  his  eyes  fixed  on 
the  lady,  though  he  was  painfully  aware  of  his  rudeness, 
and  feared  every  moment  that  she  would  open  hers  and 
meet  his  fixed  regard.  But  he  was  ere  long  a  little  re- 
lieved; for  after  a  while  her  eyelids  slowly  rose,  and  her 
eyes  remained  uncovered,  but  unemployed  for  a  time ;  and 
when,  at  length,  they  began  to  wander  about  the  room,  as 
if  languidly  seeking  to  make  some  acquaintance  with  her 
environment,  they  were  never  directed  towards  him :  it 
seemed  nothing  but  what  was  in  the  mirror  could  affect  her 
vision ;   and,  therefore,  if  she  saw  him  at  all,  it  could  only 


A    FAERIE   ROMANCE.  141 

be  his  back,  which  of  necessity  was  turned  towards  her  in 
the  glass.  The  two  figures  in  the  mirror  could  not  meet 
face  to  face,  except  he  turned  and  looked  at  her,  present  in 
his  room ;  and,  as  she  was  not  there,  he  concluded  that  if 
he  were  to  turn  towards  the  part  in  his  room  corresponding 
to  that  in  which  she  lay,  his  reflection  would  either  be  in- 
visible to  her  altogether,  or  at  least  it  must  appear  to  her  to 
gaze  vacantly  towards  her,  and  no  meeting  of  the  eyes 
would  produce  the  impression  of  spiritual  proximity.  By 
and  by  her  eyes  fell  upon  the  skeleton,  and  he  saw  her 
shudder  and  close  them.  She  did  not  open  them  again,  but 
signs  of  repugnance  continued  evident  on  her  countenance. 
Cosmo  would  have  removed  the  obnoxious  thing  at  once, 
but  he  feared  to  discompose  her  yet  more  by  the  assertion 
of  his  presence,  which  the  act  would  involve.  So  he  stood 
and  watched  her.  The  eyelids  yet  shrouded  the  eyes,  as  a 
costly  case  the  jewels  within;  the  troubled  expression 
gradually  faded  from  the  countenance,  leaving  only  a  faint 
sorrow  behind ;  the  features  settled  into  an  unchanging  ex- 
pression of  rest;  and  by  these  signs,  and  the  slow,  regular 
motion  of  her  breathing,  Cosmo  knew  that  she  slept.  He 
could  now  gaze  on  her  without  embarrassment.  He  saw 
that  her  figure,  dressed  in  the  simplest  robe  of  white,  was 
worthy  of. her  face;  and  so  harmonious,  that  either  the 
delicately  moulded  foot,  or  any  finger  of  the  equally  deli- 
cate hand,  was  an  index  to  the  whole.  As  she  lay,  her 
whole  form  manifested  the  relaxation  of  perfect  repose.     He 


142  PHANTASTES : 

gazed  till  he  was  weary,  and  at  last  seated  himself  near 
the  new-found  shrine,  and  mechanically  took  up  a  book, 
like  one  who  watches  by  a  sick-bed.  But  his  eyes  gathered 
no  thoughts  from  the  page  before  him.  His  intellect  had 
been  stunned  by  the  bold  contradiction,  to  its  face,  of  all 
its  experience,  and  now  lay  passive,  without  assertion,  or 
speculation,  or  even  conscious  astonishment;  while  his 
imagination  sent  one  wild  dream  of  blessedness  after  another 
coursing^through  his  soul.  How  long  he  sat  he  knew  not ; 
but  at  length  he  roused  himself,  rose,  and,  trembling  in 
every  portion  of  his  frame,  looked  again  into  the  mirror. 
She  was  gone.  The  mirror  reflected  faithfully  what  his 
room  presented,  and  nothing  more.  It  stood  there  like  a 
golden  setting  whence  the  central  jewel  has  been  stolen 
away ;  like  a  night-sky  without  the  glory  of  its  stars. 
She  htid  carried  with  her  all  the  strangeness  of  the  reflected 
room.  It  had  sunk  to  the  level  of  the  one  without.  But 
when  the  first  pangs  of  his  disappointment  had  passed 
Cosmo  began  to  comfort  himself  with  the  hope  that  she 
might  return,  perhaps  the  next  evening,  at  the  same  hour. 
Resolving  that,  if  she  did,  she  should  not  at  least  be  scared 
by  the  hateful  skeleton,  he  removed  that,  and  several  other 
articles  of  questionable  appearance,  into  a  recess  by  the  side 
of  the  hearth,  whence  they  could  not  possibly  cast  any 
reflection  into  the  mirror  ;  and,  having  made  his  poor  room 
as  tidy  as  he  could,  sought  the  solace  of  the  open  sky  and 
ci  a  night  wind  that  had  begun  to  blow ;  for  he  could  not 


A    FAEKIE    ROMANCE.  143 

rest  where  he  was.  When  he  returned,  somewhat  com- 
posed, he  could  hardly  prevail  with  himself  to  lie  down  on 
his  bed ;  for  he  could  not  help  feeling  as  if  she  had  lain 
upon  it ;  and  for  him  to  lie  there  now  would  be  something 
like  sacrilege.  However,  weariness  prevailed  ;  and,  laying 
himself  on  the  couch,  dressed  as  he  was,  he  slept  till  day. 

With  a  beating  heart,  beating  till  he  could  hardly 
breathe,  he  stood  in  dumb  hope  before  the  mirror,  on  the 
following  evening.  Again  the  reflected  room  shone  as 
through  a  purple  vapor  in  the  gathering  twilight.  Every- 
thing seemed  waiting  like  himself  for  a  coming  splendor  to 
glorify  its  poor  earthliness  with  the  presence  of  a  heavenly 
joy.  And  just  as  the  room  vibrated  with  the  strokes  of  the 
neighboring  church-bell,  announcing  the  hour  of  six,  in 
glided  the  pale  beauty,  and  again  laid  herself  on  the  couch. 
Poor  Cosmo  nearly  lost  his  senses  with  delight.  She  was 
there  once  more !  Her  eyes  sought  the  corner  where  the 
skeleton  had  stood,  and  a  faint  gleam  of  satisfaction  crossed 
her  face,  apparently  at  seeing  it  empty.  She  looked  suf- 
fering still,  but  there  was  less  of  discomfort  expressed  in 
her  countenance  than  there  had  been  the  night  before. 
She  took  more  notice  of  the  things  about  her,  and  seemed 
to  gaze  with  some  curiosity  on  the  strange  apparatus  stand- 
ing here  and  there  in  her  room.  At  length,  however, 
drowsiness  seemed  to  overtake  her,  and  again  she  fell 
asleep.  Resolved  not  to  lose  sight  of  her  this  time,  Cosmo 
watched  the  sleeping  form.     Her  slumber  was  so  deep  and 


144  PHANTASIES  : 

absorbing  that  a  fascinating  repose  seemed  to  pass  con- 
tagiously from  her  to  him  as  he  gazed  upon  her ;  and  he 
started,  as  if  awaking  from  a  dream,  when  the  lady  moved, 
xand,  without  opening  her  eyes,  rose,  and  passed  from  the 
room  with  the  gait  of  a  somnambulist. 

Cosmo  was  now  in  a  state  of  extravagant  delight.  Most 
men  have  a  secret  treasure  somewhere.  The  miser  has  his 
golden  hoard ;  the  virtuoso  his  pet  ring ;  the  student  his 
rare  book ;  the  poet  his  favorite  haunt ;  the  lover  his  secret 
drawer ;  but  Cosmo  had  a  mirror  with  a  lovely  lady  in  it. 
And  now  that  he  knew  by  the  skeleton  that  she  was 
ajGfected  by  the  things  around  her,  he  had  a  new  object  in 
life  :  he  would  turn  the  bare  chamber  in  the  mirror  into  a . 
room  such  as  no  lady  need  disdain  to  call  her  own.  This 
he  could  effect  only  by  furnishing  and  adorning  his.  And 
Cosmo  was  poor.  Yet  he  possessed  accomplishments  that 
could  be  turned  to  account ;  although,  hitherto,  he  had  pre- 
ferred living  on  his  slender  allowance  to  increasing  his 
means  by  what  his  pride  considered  unworthy  of  his  rank. 
He  was  the  best  swordsman  in  the  University ;  and  now  he 
offered  to  give  lessons  in  fencing  and  similar  exercises  to 
such  as  chose  to  pay  him  well  for  the  trouble.  His  pro- 
posal was  heard  with  surprise  by  the  students,  but  it  was 
eagerly  accepted  by  many ;  and  soon  his  instructions  were 
not  confined  to  the  richer  students,  but  were  anxiously 
sought  by  many  of  the  young  nobility  of  Prague  and  its 
neighborhood ;  so  that  very  soon  he  had  a  good  deal  of 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  145 

money  at  his  command.  The  first  thing  he  did  was  to  re- 
move his  apparatus  and  oddities  into  a  closet  in  the  room. 
Then  he  placed  his  bed  and  a  few  other  necessaries  on  each 
side  of  the  hearth,  and  parted  them  from  the  rest  of  the 
room  by  two  screens  of  Indian  fabric.  Then  he  put  an  ele- 
gant couch  for  the  lady  to  lie  upon,  in  the  corner  where  his 
bed  had  formerly  stood ;  and,  by  degrees,  every  day  adding 
some  article  of  luxury,  converted  it,  at  length,  into  a  rich 
boudoir. 

Every  night,  about  the  same  time,  the  lady  entered. 
The  first  time  she  saw  the  new  couch  she  started  with  a 
half-smile ;  then  her  face  grew  very  sad,  the  tears  came  to 
her  eyes,  and  she  laid  herself  upon  the  couch,  and  pressed 
her  face  into  the  silken  cushions,  as  if  to  hide  from  every- 
thing. She  took  notice  of  each  addition  and  each  change 
as  the  work  proceeded ;  and  a  look  of  acknowledgment,  as 
if  she  knew  that  some  one  was  ministering  to  her.  and  was 
grateful  for  it,  mingled  with  the  constant  look  of  suffering. 
At  length,  after  she  had  lain  down  as  usual  one  evening, 
her  eyes  fell  upon  some  paintings  with  which  Cosmo  had 
just  finished  adorning  the  walls.  She  rose,  and,  to  his 
great  delight,  walked  across  the  room,  and  proceeded  to  ex- 
amine them  carefully,  testifying  much  pleasure  in  her  looks 
as  she  did  so.  But  again  the  sorrowful,  tearful  expression 
returned,  and  again  she  buried  her  face  in  the  pillows  of 
her  couch.  Gradually,  however,  her  countenance  had 
grown  more  composed ;  much  of  the  sufiering  manifest  on 

10 


146  PHANTASTES : 

her  first  appearance  had  vanished,  and  a  kind  of  quiet, 
hopeful  expression  had  taken  its  place;  which,  however, 
frequently  gave  way  to  an  anxious,  troubled  look,  mingled 
with  something  of  sympathetic  pity. 

Meantime,,  how  fared  Cosmo  ?  As  might  be  expected,  in 
one  of  his  temperament,  his  interest  had  blossomed  into 
love,  and  his  love,  —  shall  I  call  it  ripened^  or  —  loitliered 
into  passion  ?  But,  alas !  he  loved  a  shadow.  He  could 
not  come  near  her,  could  not  speak  to  her,  could  not  hear  a 
sound  from  those  sweet  lips,  to  which  his  longing  eyes 
would  cling  like  bees  to  their  honey-founts.  Ever  and 
anon  he  sang  to  himself:  — 

"  I  shall  die  for  love  of  the  maiden ;  " 

and  ever  he  looked  again,  and  died  not,  though  his  heart 
seemed  ready  to  break  with  intensity  of  life  and  longing  ; 
and  the  more  he  did  for  her,  the  more  he  loved  her ;  and 
he  hoped  that  although  she  never  appeared  to  see  him,  yet 
she  was  pleased  to  think  that  one  unknown  would  give  his 
life  to  her.  He  tried  to  comfort  himself  over  his  separation 
from  her,  by  thinking  that  perhaps  some  day  she  would 
see  him,  and  make  signs  to  him,  and  that  would  satisfy 
him;  "for,"  thought  he,  "is  not  this  all  that  a  loving 
soul  can  do  to  enter  into  communion  with  another  ?  Nay, 
how  many  who  love  never  come  nearer  than  to  behold  each 
other  as  in  a  mirror ;  seem  to  know  and  yet  never  know 
the  inward  life ;  never  enter  the  other  soul ;  and  part  at 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE,  147 

last  with  but  the  vagufest  notion  of  the  universe  on  the  bor- 
ders of  which  thej  have  been  hovering  for  years  ?  If  I 
could  but  speak  to  her,  and  knew  that  she  heard  me.  I 
should  be  satisfied."  Once  he  contemplated  painting  a  pic- 
ture on  the  wall,  which  should  of  necessity  convey  to  the 
lady  a  thought  of  himself;  but,  though  he  had  some  skill 
with  the  pencil,  he  found  his  hand  tremble  so  much,  when 
he  began  the  attempt,  that  he  was  forced  to  give  it  up. 

One  evening,  as  he  stood  gazing  on  his  treasure,  he 
thought  he  saw  a  faint  expression  of  self-consciousness  on 
her  countenance,  as  if  she  surmised  that  passionate  eyes 
were  fixed  upon  her.  This  grew,  till  at  last  the  red  blood 
rose  over  her  neck,  and  cheek,  and  brow.  Cosmo's  longing 
to  approach  her  became  almost  delirious.  This  night  she 
"was  dressed  in  an  evening  costume,  resplendent  with  dia- 
monds. This  could  add  nothing  to  her  beauty,  but  it 
presented  it  in  a  new  aspect;  enabled  her  loveliness  to 
make  a  new  manifestation  of  itself  in  a  new  embodiment. 
For  essential  beauty  is  infinite ;  and,  as  the  soul  of 
Nature  needs  an  endless  succession  of  varied  forms  to 
embody  her  loveliness,  countless  faces  of  beauty  springing 
forth,  not  any  two  the  same,  at  every  one  of  her  heart- 
throbs ;  so  the  individual  form  needs  an  infinite  change  of 
its  environments,  to  enable  it  to  uncover  all  the  phases  of 
its  loveliness.  Diamonds  glittered  from  amidst  her  hair, 
half-hidden  in  its  luxuriance,  like  stars  through  dark  rain- 
clouds  ;    and  the  bracelets  on  her  white  arms  flashed  all  the 


148  PHANTASIES : 

colors  of  a  rainbow  of  lightnings,  as  she  lifted  her  snowy 
hands  to  cover  her  burning  face.  But  her  beauty  shone 
down  all  its  adornment.  "If  I  might  have  but  one  of  her 
feet  to  kiss,"  thought  Cosmo,  "I  should  be  content." 
Alas !  he  deceived  himself,  for  passion  is  never  content. 
Nor  did  he  know  that  there  are  tiuo  ways  out  of  her 
enchanted  house.  But.  suddenly,  as  if  the  pang  had  been 
driven  into  his  heart  from  without,  revealing  itself  first  in 
pain,  and  afterwards  in  definite  form,  the  thought  darted 
into  his  mind,  "  She  has  a  lover  somewhere.  Remembered 
words  of  his  bring  the  color  on  her  face  now.  I  am  no- 
where to  her.  She  lives  in  another  world  all  day,  and  all 
night,  after  she  leaves  me.  Why  does  she  come  and  make 
me  love  her,  till  I,  a  strong  man,  am  too  faint  to  look  upon 
her  more?"  He  looked  again,  and  her  face  was  pale  as  a 
lily.  A  sorrowful  compassion  seemed  to  rebuke  the  glitter 
of  the  restless  jewels,  and  the  slow  tears  rose  in  her  eyes. 
She  left  her  room  sooner  this  evening  than  was  her  wont. 
Cosmo  remained  alone,  with  a  feeling  as  if  his  bosom  had 
been  suddenly  left  empty  and  hollow,  and  the  weight  of 
the  whole  world  was  crushing  in  its  walls.  The  next 
evening,  for  the  first  time  since  she  began  to  come,  she 
came  not. 

And  now  Cosmo  was  in  wretched  plight.  Since  the 
thought  of  a  rival  had  occurred  to  him  he  could  not  rest 
for  a  moment.  More  than  ever  he  longed  to  see  the  lady 
face  to  face.     He  persuaded  himself  that  if  he  but  knew 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  149 

the  worst  he  would  be  satisfied ;  for  then  he  could  abandon 
Prague,  and  find  that  relief  in  constant  motion  which  is 
the  hope  of  all  active  minds  when  invaded  by  distress. 
Meantime  he  waited  with  unspeakable  anxiety  for  the  next 
night,  hoping  she  would  return ;  but  she  did  not  appear. 
And  now  he  fell  really  ill.  Rallied  by  his  fellow-students 
on  his  wretched  looks,  he  ceased  to  attend  the  lectures. 
His  engagements  were  neglected.  He  cared  for  nothing. 
The  sky,  with  the  great  sun  in  it,  was  to  him  a  heartless, 
burning  desert.  The  men  and  women  in  the  streets  were 
mere  puppets,  without  motives  in  themselves,  or  interest  to 
him.  He  saw  them  all  as  on  the  ever-changing  field  of  a 
camera  obscura.  She  —  she  alone  and  altogether  —  was 
his  universe,  his  well  of  life,  his  incarnate  good.  For  six 
evenings  she  came  not.  Let  his  absorbing  passion,  and  the 
slow  fever  that  was  consuming  his  brain,  be  his  excuse  for 
the  resolution  which,  he  had  taken  and  begun  to  execute 
before  that  time  had  expired. 

Reasoning  with  himself  that  it  must  be  by  some 
enchantment  connected  with  the  mirror  that  the  form  of 
the  lady  was  to  be  seen  in  it,  he  determined  to  attempt  to 
turn  to  account  what  he  had  hitherto  studied  principally 
from  curiosity.  "For,"  said  he  to  himself,  "  if  a  spell 
can  force  her  presence  in  that  glass  (and  she  came  unwill- 
ingly at  first),  may  not  a  stronger  spell,  such  as  I  know, 
especially  with  the  aid  of  her  half-presence  in  the  mirror, 
if  ever  she  appears  again,  compel  her  living  form  to  come 


150  PHANTASTES  : 

to  me  here  ?  If  I  do  her  wrong,  let  love  be  my  excuse. 
I  want  only  to  know  my  doom  from  her  own  lips."  He 
never  doubted  all  the  time  that  she  was  a  real,  earthly 
woman;  or,  rather,  that  there  was  a  woman,  who,  some- 
how or  other,  threw  this  reflection  of  her  form  into  the 
magic  mirror. 

He  opened  his  secret  drawer,  took  out  his  books  of 
magic,  lighted  his  lamp,  and  read  and  made  notes  from  mid- 
night till  three  in  the  morning,  for  three  successive  nights. 
Then  he  replaced  his  books,  and  the  next  night  went  out 
in  quest  of  the  materials  necessary  for  the  conjuration. 
These  were  not  easy  to  find ;  for,  in  love-charms  and  all 
incantations  of  this  nature,  ingredients  are  employed 
scarcely  fit  to  be  mentioned,  and  for  the  thought  even  of 
which,  in  connection  with  her,  he  could  only  excuse  him- 
self on  the  score  of  his  bitter  need.  At  length  he  suc- 
ceeded in  procuring  all  he  required,  and  on  the  seventh 
evening  from  that  on  which  she  had  last  appeared  he 
found  himself  prepared  for  the  exercise  of  unlawful  and 
tyrannical  power. 

He  cleared  the  centre  of  the  room ;  stooped  and  drew  a 
circle  of  red  on  the  floor  around  the  spot  where  he  stood ; 
wrote  in  the  four  quarters  mystical  signs,  and  numbers 
which  were  all  powers  of  seven  or  nine ;  examined  the 
whole  ring  carefully,  to  see  that  no  smallest  break  had  oc- 
curred in  the  circumference ;  and  then  rose  from  his  bend- 
ing posture.     As  he  rose,  the  church  clock  struck  seven, 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  151 

and  just  as  she  had  appeared  the  first  time,  reluctant,  slow, 
and  stately,  glided  in  the  lady.  Cosmo  trembled  ;  and 
when,  turning,  she  revealed  a  countenance  worn  and  wan, 
as  with  sickness  or  inward  trouble,  he  grew  faint,  and  felt 
as  if  he  dared  not  proceed.  But  as  he  gazed  on  the  face 
and  form,  which  now  possessed  his  whole  soul  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  all  other  joys  and  griefs,  the  longing  to  speak  to 
her,  to  know  that  she  heard  him,  to  hear  from  her  one 
word  in  return,  became  so  unendurable,  that  he  suddenly 
and  hastily  resumed  his  preparations.  Stepping  carefully 
from  the  circle,  he  put  a  small  brazier  into  its  centre.  He 
then  set  fire  to  its  contents  of  charcoal,  and  while  it 
burned  up,  opened  his  window  and  seated  himself,  waiting 
beside  it. 

It  was  a  sultry  evening.  The  air  was  full  of  thunder. 
A  sense  of  luxurious  depression  filled  the  brain.  The  sky 
seemed  to  have  grown  heavy,  and  to  compress  the  air  be- 
neath it.  A  kind  of  purplish  tinge  pervaded  the  atmos- 
phere, and  through  the  open  window  came  the  scents  of 
the  distant  fields,  which  all  the  vapors  of  the  city  could 
not  quench.  Soon  the  charcoal  glowed.  Cosmo  sprinkled 
upon  it  the  incense  and  other  substances  which  he  had  com- 
pounded, and,  stepping  within  the  circle,  turned  his  face 
from  the  brazier  and  towards  the  mirror.  Then,  fixing  his 
eyes  upon  the  face  of  the  lady,  he  began  with  a  trembling 
voice  to  repeat  a  powerful  incantation.  He  had  not  gone 
far,  before  the  lady  grew  pale  ;  and  then,  like  a  returning 


152  PHANTASTES : 

wave,  the  blood  washed  all  its  banks  with  its  crimson  tide, 
and  she  hid  her  face  in  her  hands.  Then  he  passed  to  a 
conjuration  stronger  yet.  The  lady  rose  and  walked  un- 
easily to  and  fro  in  her  room.  Another  spell;  and  she 
seemed  seeking  with  her  eyes  for  some  object  on  which 
they  wished  to  rest.  At  length  it  seemed  as  if  she  sud- 
denly espied  him ;  for  her  eyes  fixed  themselves  full  and 
wide  upon  his,  and  she  drew  gradually,  and  somewhat  un- 
willingly, close  to  her  side  of  the  mirror,  just  as  if  his  eyes 
had  fascinated  her.  Cosmo  had  never  seen  her  so  near 
before.  Now,  at  least,  eyes  met  eyes ;  but  he  could  not 
quite  understand  the  expression  of  hers.  They  were  full 
of  tender  entreaty,  but  there  was  something  more  that  he 
could  not  interpret.  Though  his  heart  seemed  to  labor  in 
his  throat,  he  would  allow  no  delight  or  agitation  to  turn 
him  from  his  task.  Looking  still  in  her  face,  he  passed  on 
to  the  mightiest  charm  he  knew.  Suddenly  the  lady 
turned  and  walked  out  of  the  door  of  her  reflected 
chamber.  A  moment  after,  she  entered  his  room  with 
veritable  presence ;  and,  forgetting  all  his  precautions,  he 
sprang  from  the  charmed  circle,  and  knelt  before  her. 
There  she  stood,  the  living  lady  of  his  passionate  visions, 
alone  beside  him,  in  a  thundery  twilight,  and  the  glow  of 
a  magic  fire. 

"Why,"  said  the  lady,  with  a  trembling  voice,  "didst 
thou  bring  a  poor  maiden  through  the  rainy  streets 
alone?" 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  •  153 

"Because  I  am  dying  for  love  of  thee;  but  I  only 
brought  thee  from  the  mirror  there." 

"Ah,  the  mirror  !  "  and  she  looked  up  at  it,  and  shud- 
dered. "  Alas  !  I  am  but  a  slave  while  that  mirror 
exists.  But  do  not  think  it  was  the  power  of  thy  spell 
that  drew  me ;  it  was  thy  longing  desire  to  see  me  that 
beat  at  the  door  of  my  heart  till  I  was  forced  to  yield." 

"Canst  thou  love  me  then?"  said  Cosmo,  in  a  voice 
calm  as  death,  but  almost  inarticulate  with  emotion. 

"I  do  not  know,"  she  replied  sadly;  "that  I  cannot 
tell,  so  long  as  I  am  bewildered  with  enchantments.  It 
were  indeed  a  joy  too  great,  to  lay  my  head  on  thy  bosom 
and  weep  to  death ;  for  I  think  thou  lovest  me,  though  I 
do  not  know ;  but  —  " 

Cosmo  rose  from  his  knees. 

' '  I  love  thee  as  —  nay,  I  know  not  what ;  for  since  I 
loved  thee,  there  is  nothing  else." 

He  seized  her  hand  :  she  withdrew  it. 

"  No,  better  not ;  I  am  in  thy  power,  and  therefore  I 
may  not." 

She  burst  into  tears,  and,  kneeling  before  him  in  her 
turn,  said  :  — 

' '  Cosmo,  if  thou  lovest  me,  set  me  free,  even  from  thy- 
self;  break  the  mirror." 

"  And  shall  I  see  thyself  instead?  " 

' '  That  I  cannot  tell.  I  will  not  deceive  thee  ;  we  may 
never  meet  again." 


154    .  PUANTASTES: 

A  fierce  struggle  arose  in  Cosmo's  bosom.  Now  she 
was  ia  his  power.  She  did  not  dislike  him  at  least,  and  he 
could  see  her  when  he  would.  To  break  the  mirror  would 
be  to  destroy  his  very  life,  to  banish  out  of  his  universe 
the  only  glory  it  possessed.  The  whole  world  would  be 
but  a  prison,  if  he  annihilated  the  one  window  that  looked 
into  the  paradise  of  love.  Not  yet  pure  in  love,  he  hesi- 
tated. 

With  a  wail  of  sorrow,  the  lady  rose  to  her  feet.  "  Ah  ! 
he  loves  me  not ;  he  loves  me  not  even  as  I  love  him ;  and, 
alas  !  I  care  more  for  his  love  than  even  for  the  freedom  I 
ask." 

"I  will  not  wait  to  be  willing,"  cried  Cosmo,  and 
sprang  to  the  corner  where  the  great  sword  stood. 

Meantime  it  had  grown  very  dark ;  only  the  embers  cast 
a  red  glow  through  the  room.  He  seized  the  sword  by  the 
steel  scabbard,  and  stood  before  the  mirror ;  but  as  he  heaved 
a  great  blow  at  it  with  the  heavy  pommel,  the  blade  slipped 
half-way  out  of  the  scabbard,  and  the  pommel  struck  the 
wall  above  the  mirror.  At  that  moment  a  terrible  clap  of 
thunder  seemed  to  burst  in  the  very  room  beside  them  ;  and 
ere  Cosmo  could  repeat  the  blow  he  fell  senseless  on  the 
hearth.  When  he  came  to  himself  he  found  that  the  lady 
and  the  mirror  had  both  disappeared.  He  was  seized  with 
a  brain  fever,  which  kept  him  to  his  couch  for  weeks. 

When  he  recovered  his  reason,  he  began  to  think  what 
could  have  become  of  the  mirror.     For  the  lady,  he  hoped 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  155 

she  had  found  her  way  back  as  she  came  ;  but  as  the  mirror 
involved  her  fate  with  its  own  he  was  more  immediately 
anxious  about  that.  He  could  not  think  she  had  carried  it 
away.  It  was  much  too  heavy,  even  if  it  had  not  been  too 
firmly  fixed  in  the  wall,  for  her  to  remove  it.  Then,  again, 
he  remembered  the  thunder,  which  made  him  believe  that 
it  was  not  the  lightning,  but  some  other  blow,  that  had 
struck  him  down.  He  concluded  that,  either  by  super- 
natural agency,  he  having  exposed  himself  to  the  vengeance 
of  the  demons  in  leaving  the  circle  of  safety,  or  in  some 
other  mode,  the  mirror  had  probably  found  its  way  back  to 
its  former  owner ;  and,  horrible  to  think  of,  might  have 
been  by  this  time  once  more  disposed  of,  delivering  up  the 
lady  into  the  power  of  another  man,  who,  if  he  used  his 
power  no  worse  than  he  himself  had  done,  might  yet  give 
Cosmo  abundant  cause  to  curse  the  selfish  indecision  which 
prevented  him  from  shattering  the  mirror  at  once.  Indeed, 
to  think  that  she  whom  he  loved,  and  who  had  prayed  to 
him  for  freedom,  should  be  still  at  the  mercy,  in  some 
degree,  of  the  possessor  of  the  mirror,  and  was  at  least 
exposed  to  his  constant  observation,  was  in  itself  enough  to 
madden  a  chary  lover. 

Anxiety  to  be  well  retarded  his  recovery  ;  but  at  length 
he  was  able  to  creep  abroad.  He  first  made  his  way  to  the 
old  broker's,  pretending  to  be  in  search  of  something  else. 
A  laughing  sneer  on  the  creature's  face  convinced  him  that 
he  knew  all  about  it ;  but  he  could  not  see  it  amongst  hia 


156  PHANTASIES : 

furniture,  or  get  any  information  out  of  him  as  to  what  had 
become  of  it.  He  expressed  the  utmost  surprise  at  hearing 
it  had  been  stolen,  —  a  surprise  which  Cosmo  saw  at  once  to 
be  counterfeited ;  while,  at  the  same  time,  he  fancied  that 
the  old  wretch  was  not  at  all  anxious  to  have  it  mistaken 
for  genuine.  Full  of  distress,  which  he  concealed  as  well 
as  he  could,  he  made  many  searches,  but  with  no  avail. 
Of  course  he  could  ask  no  questions  ;  but  he  kept  his  ears 
awake  for  any  remotest  hint  that  might  set  him  in  a  direc- 
tion of  search.  He  never  went  out  without  a  short,  heavy 
hammer  of  steel  about  him,  that  he  might  shatter  the  mirror 
the  moment  he  was  made  happy  by  the  sight  of  his  lost 
treasure,  if  ever  that  blessed  moment  should  arrive. 
Whether  he  should  see  the  lady  again  was  now  a  thought 
altogether  secondary,  and  postponed  to  the  achievement  of 
her  freedom.  He  wandered  here  and  there,  like  an  anxious 
ghost,  pale  and  haggard,  gnawed  ever  at  the  heart  by  the 
thought  of  what  she  might  be  suffering  —  all  from  his 
fault. 

One  night  he  mingled  with  a  crowd  that  filled  the  rooms 
of  one  of  the  most  distinguished  mansions  in  the  city  ;  for 
he  accepted  every  invitation,  that  he  might  lose  no  chance, 
however  poor,  of  obtaining  some  information  that  might 
expedite  his  discovery.  Here  he  wandered  about,  listen- 
ing to  every  stray  word  that  he  could  catch,  in  the  hope  of 
a  revelation.  As  he  approached  some  ladies  who  were 
talking  quietly  in  a  corner,  one  said  to  another,   "  Have 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  157 

you  heard  of  the  strange  illness  of  the  Princess  von  Hohen- 
weiss  ?  " 

"  Yes;  she  has  been  ill  for  more  than  a  year  now.  It 
is  very  sad  for  so  fine  a  creature  to  have  such  a  terrible 
malady.  She  was  better  for  some  weeks  lately ;  but  within 
the  last  few  days  the  same  attacks  have  returned,  appar- 
ently accompanied  with  more  suffering  than  ever.  It  is 
altogether  an  inexplicable  story." 

"  Is  there  a  story  connected  with  her  illness?  " 

"  I  have  only  heard  imperfect  reports  of  it;  but  it  is 
said  that  she  gave  offence  some  eighteen  months  ago  to  an 
old  woman  who  had  held  an  office  of  trust  in  the  family, 
and  who,  after  some  incoherent  threats,  disappeared.  This 
peculiar  affection  followed  soon  after.  But  the  strangest 
part  of  the  story  is  its  association  with  the  loss  of  an  antique 
mirror,  which  stood  in  her  dressing-room,  and  of  which  she 
constantly  made  use." 

Here  the  speaker's  voice  sank  to  a  whisper ;  and  Cpsmo, 
although  his  very  soul  sat  listening  in  his  ears,  could  hear 
no  more.  He  trembled  too  much  to  dare  to  address  the 
ladies,  even  if  it  had  been  advisable  to  expose  himself  to 
their  curiosity.  The  name  of  the  princess  was  well  known 
to  him,  but  he  had  never  seen  her ;  except  indeed  it  was 
she,  which  now  he  hardly  doubted,  who  had  knelt  before 
him  on  that  dreadful  night.  Fearful  of  attracting  atten- 
tion, for,  from  the  weak  state  of  his  health,  he  could  not 
recover  an  appearance  of  calmness,  he  made  his  way  to  the 


10»  PHANTASTES: 

open  air,  and  reached  his  lodgings  ;  glad  in  this,  that  he  at 
least  knew  where  she  lived,  although  he  never  dreamed  of 
approaching  her  openlj,  even  if  he  should  be  happy  enough 
to  free  her  from  her  hateful  bondage.  He  hoped,  too,  that, 
as  he  had  unexpectedly  learned  so  much,  the  other  and  far 
more  important  part  might  be  revealed  to  him  ere  long. 

"  Have  you  seen  Stein wald  lately?  " 

"  No,  I  have  not  seen  him  for  some  time.  He  is  almost 
a  match  for  me  at  the  rapier,  and  I  suppose  he  thinks  he 
needs  no  more  lessons." 

"  I  wonder  what  has  become  of  him.  I  want  to  see  him 
very  much.  Let  me  see  :  the  last  time  I  saw  him,  he  was 
coming  out  of  that  old  broker's  den,  to  which,  if  you  remem- 
ber, you  accompanied  me  once,  to  look  at  some  armor.  That 
is  fully  three  weeks  ago." 

This  hint  was  enough  for  Cosmo.  Von  Steinwald  was  a 
man  of  influence  in  the  court,  well  known  for  his  reckless 
habits  and  fierce  passions.  The  very  possibility  that  the 
mirror  should  be  in  his  possession  was  hell  itself  to  Cosmo. 
But  violent  or  hasty  measures  of  any  sort  were  most 
unlikely  to  succeed.  All  that  he  wanted  was  an  opportu- 
nity of  breaking  the  fatal  glass;  and,  to  obtain  this,  he 
must  bide  his  time.  He  revolved  many  plans  in  his  mind, 
but  without  being  able  to  fix  upon  any. 

At  length,  one  evening,  as  he  was  passing  the  house  of 
Von  Steinwald,  he  saw  the  windows   more  than  usually 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  159 

brilliant.  He  -watched  for  a  while,  and  seeing  that  com- 
pany began  to  arrive,  hastened  home,  and  dressed  as  richly 
as  he  could,  in  the  hope  of  mingling  with  the  guests 
unquestioned ;  in  effecting  which,  there  could  be  no  diffi- 
culty for  a  man  of  his  carriage. 

In  a  lofty,  silent  chamber,  in  another  part  of  the  city, 
lay  a  form  more  like  marble  than  a  living  woman.  The 
loveliness  of  death  seemed  frozen  upon  her  face,  for  her 
lips  were  rigid,  and  her  eyelids  closed.  Her  long  white 
hands  were  crossed  over  her  breast,  and  no  breathing 
disturbed  their  repose.  Beside  the  dead,  men  speak  in 
whispers,  as  if  the  deepest  rest  of  all  could  be  broken  by 
the  sound  of  a  living  voice.  Just  so,  though  the  soul  was 
evidently  beyond  the  reach  of  all  intimations  from  the 
senses,  the  two  ladies,  who  sat  beside  her,  spoke  in  the 
gentlest  tones  of  subdued  sorrow. 

"  She  has  lain  so  for  an  hour." 

"  This  cannot  last  long,  I  fear." 

"  How  much  thinner  she  has  grown  within  the  last  few 
weeks !  If  she  would  only  speak,  and  explain  what  she 
suffers,  it  would  be  better  for  her.  I  think  she  has 
visions  in  her  trances ;  but  nothing  can  induce  her  to  refer 
to  them  when  she  is  awake." 

"  Does  she  ever  speak  in  these  trances  ?  " 

"I  have  never  heard  her;  but  they  say  she  walks 
sometimes,  and  once  put  the  whole  household  in  a  terrible 


160  '  PHANTASTES : 

fright  by  disappearing  for  a  whole  hour,  and  returning 
drenched  with  rain,  and  almost  dead  with  exhaustion  and 
fright.  But  even  then  she  would  give  no  account  of  what 
had  happened." 

A  scarce  audible  murmur  from  the  yet  motionless  lips 
of  the  lady  here  startled  her  attendants.  After  several 
ineffectual  attempts  at  articulation,  the  word  '■'•  Cosmo  1^'' 
burst  from  her.  Then  she  lay  still  as  before ;  but  only  for 
a  moment.  With  a  wild  cry,  she  sprang  from  the  couch 
erect  on  the  floor,  flung  her  arms  above  her  head,  with 
clasped  and  straining  hands,  and,  her  wide  eyes  flashing 
with  light,  called  aloud,  with  a  voice  exultant  as  that  of  a 
spirit  bursting  from  a  sepulchre,  "  I  am  free  !  I  am  free  ! 
I  thank  thee  .'  "  *  Then  she  flung  herself  on  the  couch,  and 
sobbed ;  then  rose,  and  paced  wildly  up  and  down  the 
room,  with  gestures  of  mingled  delight  and  anxiety ;  then 
-turning  to  her  motionless  attendants:  "Quick,  Lisa,  my 
cloak  and  hood!"  Then  lower:  "I  must  go  to  him. 
Make  haste,  Lisa  !     You  may  come  with  me,  if  you  will." 

In  another  moment .  they  were  in  the  street,  hurrying 
along  towards  one  of  the  bridges  over  the  Moldau.  The 
moon  was  near  the  zenith,  and  the  streets  were  almost 
empty.  The  princess  soon  outstripped  her  attendant,  and 
was  half-way  over  the  bridge  before  the  other  reached  it. 

"  Are  you  free,  lady?  The  mirror  is  broken  ;  are  you 
free?" 

The  words  were  spoken  close  beside  her,  as  she  hurried 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  161 

on.  She  turned,  and  there,  leaning  on  the  parapet  in  a 
recess  of  the  bridge,  stood  Cosmo,  in  a  splendid  dress,  but 
with  a  white  and  quivering  face. 

"Cosmo!  —  I  am  free  —  and  thy  servant  forever,  I 
was  coming  to  you  now." 

"And  I  to  you,  for  death  made  me  told;  but  I  could 
get  no  further.  Have  I  atoned  at  all  ?  Do  I  love  you  a 
little  —  truly  ?  " 

"Ah,  I  know  now  that  you  love  me,  my  Cosmo;  but 
what  do  you  say  about  death  ?  " 

He  did  not  reply.  His  hand  was  pressed  against  his 
side.  She  looked  more  closely ;  the  blood  was  welling 
from  between  the  fingers.  She  flung  her  arms  around  him 
with  a  faint,  bitter  wail. 

When  Lisa  came  up,  she  found  her  mistress  kneeling 
above  a  wan,  dead  face,  which  smiled  on  in  the  spectral 
moonbeams. 


And  now  I  will  say  no  more  about  these  wondrous  vol- 
umes, though  I  could  tell  many  a  tale  out  of  them,  and 
could,  perhaps,  vaguely  represent  some  entrancing  thoughts 
of  a  deeper  kind  which  I  found  within  them.  From  many 
a  sultry  noon  till  twilight,  did  I  sit  in  that  grand  hall, 
buried  and  risen  again  in  these  old  books.  And  I  trust  I 
have  carried  away  in  my  soul  some  of  the  exhalations  of 
their  undying  leaves.  In  after  hours  of  deserved  or  need- 
ful sorrow,  portions  of  what  I  read  there  have  often  come 
11 


162  PHANTASTES  : 

to  me  again,  with  an  unexpected  comforting,  which  was 
not  fruitless,  even  though  the  comfort  might  seem  in  itself 
groundless  and  vain. 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  163 


XIY. 

Your  gallery 
Hare  we  passed  through,  not  without  much  content 
In  many  singularities ;  but  we  saw  not 
That  which  my  daughter  came  to  look  upon,  — 
The  statue  of  her  mother. 

Winter's  Tale. 

It  seemed  to  me  strange  that  all  this  time  I  had  heard 
no  music  in  the  fairj  palace.  I  was  convinced  there  must 
be  music  in  it,  but  that  my  sense  was  as  yet  too  gross  to 
receive  the  influence  of  those  mysterious  motions  that  beget 
sound.  Sometimes  I  felt  sure,  from  the  way  the  few  fig- 
ures of  which  I  got  such  transitory  glimpses  passed  me,  or 
glided  into  vacancy  before  me,  that  they  were  moving  to 
the  law  of  music ;  and,  in  fact,  several  times  I  fancied  for 
a  moment  that  I  heard  a  few  wondrous  tones  coming  I 
knew  not  whence.  But  they  did  not  last  long  enough  to 
convince  me  that  I  had  heard  them  with  the  bodily  sense. 
Such  as  they  were,  however,  they  took  strange  liberties 
with  me,  causing  me  to  burst  suddenly  into  tears,  of  which 
there  was  no  presence  to  make  me  ashamed,  or  casting  me 
into  a  kind  of  trance  of  speechless  delight,  which,  passing 
as  suddenly,  left  me  faint  and  longing  for  more. 


164  PHANTASIES  : 

Now,  on  an  evening,  before  I  had  been  a  week  in  the 
palace,  I  was  wandering  through  one  lighted  arcade  and 
corridor  after  another.     At   length   I    arrived,  through  a 
door  that  closed  behind  me,  in  another  vast  hall   of  the 
palace.     It  was  filled  with  a  subdued  crimson  light ;  by 
which  I  saw  that  slender  pillars  of  black,  built  close  to 
walls  of  white  marble,  rose  to  a   great  height,  and  then, 
dividing  into  innumerable  divergent  arches,  supported  a  roof, 
like  the  walls,  of  white  marble,  upon  which  the  arches  inter- 
sected intricately,  forming  a  fretting  of  black  upon  the  white, 
like  the  network  of  a  skeleton-leaf.     The  floor  was  black. 
Between  several  pairs  of  the  pillars  upon  every  side  the 
place  of  the  wall  behind  was  occupied  by  a  crimson  curtain 
of  thick  silk,  hanging  in  heavy  and  rich  folds.     Behind 
each  of  these  curtains  burned  a  powerful  light,  and  these 
were   the   sources  of  the  glow   that  filled   the   hall.     A 
peculiar  delicious  odor  pervaded  the  place.     As  soon  as  I 
entered,  the  old  inspiration  seemed  to  return  to  me,  for  I 
felt  a  strong  impulse  to  sing ;  or  rather,  it  seemed  as  if 
some  one  else  was  singing  a  song  in  my  soul,  which  wanted 
to  come  forth  at  my  lips,  embodied  in  my  breath.     But  I 
kept  silence ;  and  feeling  somewhat  overcome  by  the  red 
light  and  the  perfume,  as  well  as  by  the  emotion  within  me, 
and  seeing  at  one  end  of  the  hall  a  great  crimson  chair, 
more  like  a  throne  than  a  chair,  beside  a  table  of  white 
marble,  I  went  to  it,  and,  throwing  myself  in  it,  gave  my- 
self up  to  a  succession  of  images  of  bewildering  beauty, 


A    FAERIE   ROMANCE.  165 

which  passed  before  my  inward  eye  in  a  long  and  occasion- 
ally crowded  train.  Here  I  sat  for  hours,  I  suppose  ;  till, 
returning  somewhat  to  myself,  I  saw  that  the  red  light  had 
paled  away,  Und  felt  a  cool,  gentle  breath  gliding  over  my 
forehead.  I  rose  and  left  the  hall  with  unsteady  steps, 
finding  my  way  with  some  diflficulty  to  my  own  chamber, 
and  faintly  remembering,  as  I  went,  that  only  in  the 
marble  cave,  before  I  found  the  sleeping  statue,  had  I  ever 
had  a  similar  experience. 

After  this,  I  repaired  every  morning  to  the  same  hall ; 
where  I  sometimes  sat  in  the  chair,  and  dreamed  deli- 
ciously,  and  sometimes  walked  up  and  down  over  the  black 
floor.  Sometimes  I  acted  within  myself  a  whole  drama, 
during  one  of  these  perambulations ;  sometimes  walked  de- 
liberately through  the  whole  epic  of  a  tale  ;  sometimes  ven- 
tured to  sing  a  song,  though  with  a  shrinking  fear  of  I 
knew  not  what.  I  was  astonished  at  the  beauty  of  my  own 
voice  as  it  rang  through  the  place,  or  rather  crept  undulat- 
ing, like  a  serpent  of  sound,  along  the  walls  and  roof  of  this 
superb  music-hall.  Entrancing  verses  arose  within  me  as 
of  their  own  accord,  chanting  themselves  to  their  own  mel- 
odies, and  requiring  no  addition  of  muS'ic  to  satisfy  the 
inward  sense.  But,  ever  in  the  pauses  of  these,  when  the 
singing  mood  was  upon  me,  I  seemed  to  hear  something 
like  the  distant  sound  of  multitudes  of  dancers,  and  felt  as 
if  it  was  the  unheard  music,  moving  their  rhythmic  motion, 
that  within  me  blossomed  in  verse  and  song.     I  felt,  too, 


166  PHANTASIES: 

that  could  I  but  see  the  dance,  I  should,  from  the  harmony 
of  complicated  movements,  not  of  the  dancers  in  relation  to 
each  other  merely,  but  of  each  dancer  individually  in  the 
manifested  plastic  power  that  moved  the  consenting  har- 
monious form,  understand  the  whole  of  the  music  on  the 
billows  of  which  they  floated  and  swung. 

At  length,  one  night,  suddenly,  when  this  feeling  of 
dancing  came  upon  me,  I  bethought  me  of  lifting  one  of  the 
crimson  curtains,  and  looking  if,  perchance,  behind  it  there 
might  not  be  hid  some  other  mystery,  which  might  at  least 
remove  a  step  further  the  bewilderment  of  the  present  one. 
Nor  was  I  altogether  disappointed.  I  walked  to  one  of 
the  magnificent  draperies,  lifted  a  corner,  and  peeped  in. 
There,  burned  a  great,  crimson,  globe-shaped  light,  high  in 
the  cubical  centre  of  another  hall,  which  might  be  larger  or 
less  than  that  in  which  I  stood,  for  its  dimensions  were  not 
easily  perceived,  seeing  that  floor  and  roof  and  walls  were 
entirely  of  black  marble.  The  roof  was  supported  by  the 
same  arrangement  of  pillars  radiating  in  arches,  as  that  of 
the  first  hall ;  only,  here,  the  pillars  and  arches  were  of 
dark  red.  But  what  absorbed  my  delighted  gaze  was  an 
innumerable  assembly  of  white  marble  statues,  of  every 
form,  and  in  multitudinous  posture,  filling  the  hall  through- 
out. These  stood,  in  the  ruddy  glow  of  the  great  lamp, 
upon  pedestals  of  jet  black.  Around  the  lamp  shone  in 
golden  letters,  plainly  legible  from  where  I  stood,  the  two 
words :  — 


A  FAERIE  ROMANCE.  167 

TOUCH  NOT  ! 

There  was  in  all  this,  however,  no  solution  to  the 
sound  of  dancing;  and  now  I  was  aware  that  the  influ- 
ence on  my  mind  had  ceased.  I  did  not  go  in  that  even- 
ing, for  I  was  weary  and  faint,  but  I  hoarded  up  the 
expectation  of  entering,  as  of  a  great  coming  joy. 

Next  night  I  walked,  as  on  the  preceding,  through  the 
hall.  My  mind  was  filled  with  pictures  and  songs,  and 
therewith  so  much  absorbed  that  I  did  not  for  some  time 
think  of  looking  within  the  curtain  I  had  last  night  lifted. 
When  the  thought  of  doing  so  occurred  to  me  first,  I 
happened  to  be  within  a  few  yards  of  it.  I  became  con- 
scious, at  the  same  moment,  that  the  sound  of  dancing  had 
been  for  some  time  in  my  ears.  I  approached  the  curtain 
quickly,  and,  lifting  it,  entered  the  black  hall.  Everything 
was  still  as  death.  I  should  have  concluded  that  the  sound 
must  have  proceeded  from  some  other  more  distant  quarter, 
which  conclusion  its  faintness  would,  in  ordinary  circum- 
stances, have  necessitated  from  the  first ;  but  there  was  a 
something  about  the  statues  that  caused  me  still  to  remain 
in  doubt.  As  I  said,  each  stood  perfectly  still  upon  its 
black  pedestal ;  but  there  was  about  every  one  a  certain 
air,  not  of  motion,  but  as  if  it  had  just  ceased  from  move- 
ment ;  as  if  the  rest  were  not  altogether  of  the  marbly  still- 
ness of  thousands  of  years.  It  was  as  if  the  peculiar  at- 
mosphere of  each  had  yet  a  kind  of  invisible  tremulousness; 
as  if  its  agitated  wavelets  had  not  yet  subsided  into  a  per- 


168  PHANTASTES : 

feet  calm.  I  had  the  suspicion  that  they  had  anticipated 
mj  appearance,  and  had  sprung,  each,  from  the  living  joy 
of  the  dance,  to  the  death-silence  and  blackness  of  its 
isolated  pedestal,  just  before  I  entered.  I  walked  across 
the  central  hall  to  the  curtain  opposite  the  one  I  had  lifted, 
and,  entering  there,  found  all  the  appearances  similar,  only 
that  the  statues  were  different,  and  differently  grouped. 
Neither  did  they  produce  on  my  mind  that  impression  —  of 
motion  just  expired  —  which  I  had  experienced  from  the 
others.  I  found  that  behind  every  one  of  the  crimson 
curtains  was  a  similar  hall,  similarly  lighted,  and  similarly 
occupied. 

The  next  night  I  did  not  allow  my  thoughts  to  be  ab- 
sorbed as  before  with  inward  images,  but  crept  stealthily 
along  to  the  furthest  curtain  in  the  hall,  from  behind  which, 
likewise,  I  had  formerly  seemed  to  hear  the  sound  of  danc- 
ing. I  drew  aside  its  edge  as  suddenly  as  I  could,  and, 
looking  in,  saw  that  the  utmost  stillness  pervaded  the  vast 
place.  I  walked  in,  and  passed  through  it  to  the  other 
end.  There  I  found  that  it  communicated  with  a  circular 
corridor,  divided  from  it  only  by  two  rows  of  red  columns. 
This  corridor,  which  was  black,  with  red  niches  holding 
statues,  ran  entirely  about  the  statue-halls,  forming  a  com- 
munication between  the  further  ends  of  them  all ;  further, 
that  is,  as  regards  the  central  hall  of  white,  whence  they  all 
diverged  like  radii,  finding  their  circumference  in  the 
corridor.     Round  this  corridor  I  now  went,  entering  all  the 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  169 

halls,  of  which  there  were  twelve,  and  finding  them  all 
similarly  constructed,  but  filled  with  quite  various  statues 
of  what  seemed  both  ancient  and  modern  sculpture.  After 
I  had  simply  walked  through  them,  I  found  myself  suffi- 
ciently tired  to  long  for  rest,  and  went  to  my  own  room. 

In  the  night  I  dreamed  that,  walking  close  by  one  of  the 
curtains,  I  was  suddenly  seized  with  the  desire  to  enter, 
and  darted  in.  This  time  I  was  too  quick  for  them.  All 
the  statues  were  in  motion,  statues  no  longer,  but  men  and 
women ;  all  shapes  of  beauty  that  ever  sprang  from  the 
brain  of  the  sculptor,  mingled  in  the  convolutions  of  a  com- 
plicated dance.  Passing  through  them  to  the  further  end, 
I  almost  started  from  my  sleep  on  beholding,  not  taking 
part  in  the  dance  with  the  others,  nor  seemingly  endued 
with  life  like  them,  but  standing  in  marble  coldness  and 
rigidity  upon  a  black  pedestal  in  the  extreme  left  corner  — 
my  lady  of  the  cave  ;  the  marble  beauty  who  sprang  from 
her  tomb  or  her  cradle  at  the  call  of  my  songs.  While  I 
gazed  in  speechless  astonishment  and  admiration,  a  dark 
shadow,  descending  from  above  like  the  curtain  of  a  stage, 
gradually  hid  her  entirely  from  my  view.  I  felt  with  a 
shudder  that  this  shadow  was  perchance  my  missing  demon, 
whom  I  had  not  seen  for  days.     I  awoke  with  a  stifled  cry. 

Of  course,  the  next  evening  I  began  my  journey  through 
the  halls  (for  I  knew  not  to  which  my  dream  had  carried 
me),  in  the  hope  of  proving  the  dream  to  be  a  true  one,  by 
discovering  my  marble  beauty  upon  her  black  pedestal.     At 


170  PHANTASTES : 

length,  on  reaching  the  tenth  hall,  I  thought  I  recognized 
some  of  the  forms  I  had  seen  dancing  in  my  dream ;  and  to 
my  bewilderment,  when  I  arrived  at  the  extreme  corner  on 
the  left,  there  stood,  the  only  one  I  had  yet  seen,  a  vacant 
pedestal.  It  was  exactly  in  the  position  occupied,  in  my 
dream,  by  the  pedestal  on  which  the  white  lady  stood. 
Hope  beat  violently  in  my  heart. 

"Now,"  said  I  to  myself,  "if  yet  another  part  of  the 
dream  would  but  come  true,  and  I  should  succeed  in  sur- 
prising these  forms  in  their  nightly  dance,  it  might  be  the 
rest  would  follow,  and  I  should  see  on  the  pedestal  my 
marble  queen.  Then  surely  if  my  songs  sufficed  to  give 
her  life  before,  when  she  lay  in  the  bonds  of  alabaster, 
much  more  would  they  be  sufficient  then  to  give  her  volition 
and  motion,  when  she  alone  of  assembled  crowds  of  marble 
forms  would  be  standing  rigid  and  cold." 

But  the  difficulty  was,  to  surprise  the  dancers.  I  had 
found  that  a  premeditated  attempt  at  surprise,  though  exe- 
cuted with  the  utmost  care  and  rapidity,  was  of  no  avail. 
And,  in  my  dream,  it  was  effected  by  a  sudden  thought 
suddenly  executed.  I  saw,  therefore,  that  there  was  no 
plan  of  operation,  offering  any  probability  of  success,  but 
this  :  to  allow  my  mind  to  be  occupied  with  other  thoughts, 
as  I  wandered  around  the  great  centre-hall,  and  so  wait 
till  the  impulse  to  enter  one  of  the  others  should  happen  to 
arise  in  me  just  at  the  moment  when  I  was  close  to  one  of 
the  crimson  curtains.     For  I  hoped  that  if  I  entered  any 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE,  171 

one  of  the  twelve  halls  at  the  right  moment,  that  would  as 
it  were  give  me  the  right  of  entrance  to  all  the  others,  see- 
ing they  all  had  communication  behind.  I  would  not 
diminish  the  hope  of  the  right  chance,  bj  supposing  it  nec- 
essary that  the  desire  to  enter  should  awake  within  me 
precisely  when  I  was  close  to  the  curtains  of  the  tenth 
hall. 

At  first  the  impulses  to  see  recurred  so  continually,  in 
spite  of  the  crowded  imagery  that  kept  passing  through  my 
mind,  that  they  formed  too  nearly  a  continuous  chain  for 
the  hope  that  any  one  of  them  would  succeed  as  a  surprise. 
But  as  I  persisted  in  banishing  them,  they  recurred  less 
and  less  often ;  and  after  two  or  three,  at  considerable  in- 
tervals, had  come  when  the  spot  where  I  happened  to  be 
■was  unsuitable,  the  hope  strengthened  that  soon  one  might 
firise  just  at  the  right  moment,  namely,  when,  in  walking 
round  the  hall,  I  should  be  close  to  one  of  the  curtains. 

At  length  the  right  moment  and  the  impulse  coincided. 
I  darted  into  the  ninth  hall.  It  was  full  of  the  most 
exquisite  moving  forms.  The  whole  space  wavered  and 
swam  with  the  involutions  of  an  intricate  dance.  It  seemed 
to  break  suddenly  as  I  entered,  and  all  made  one  or  two 
bounds  towards  their  pedestals  ;  but,  apparently  on  finding 
that  they  were  thoroughly  overtaken,  they  returned  to  their 
employment  (for  it  seemed  with  them  earnest  enough  to  be 
called  such)  without  further  heeding  me.  Somewhat  im- 
peded by  the  floating  crowd,  I  made  what  haste  I  could 


172  PHANTASTES  : 

towards  the  bottom  of  the  hall ;  whence,  entering  the  cor- 
ridor, I  turned  towards  the  tenth.  I'  soon  arrived  at  the 
corner  I  wanted  to  reach,  for  the  corridor  was  compara- 
tively empty ;  but,  although  the  dancers  here,  after  a  little 
confusion,  altogether  disregarded  my  presence,  I  was  dis- 
mayed at  beholding,  even  yet,  a  vacant  pedestal.  But  I 
had  a  conviction  that  she  was  near  me.  And  as  I  looked 
at  the  pedestal,  I  thought  I  saw  upon  it,  vaguely  revealed 
as  if  through  overlapping  folds  of  drapery,  the  indistinct 
outlines  of  white  feet.  Yet  there  was  no  sign  of  drapery 
or  concealing  shadow  whatever.  But  I  remembered  the 
descending  shadow  in  my  dream.  And  I  hoped  still  in  the 
power  of  my  songs ;  thinking  that  what  could  dispel  ala- 
baster might  likewise  be  capable  of  dispelling  what  con- 
cealed my  beauty  now,  even  if  it  were  the  demon  whose 
darkness  had  overshadowed  all  my  life. 


A  FAERIE   ROMANCE.  173 


XV. 

Alexander.     When  will  you  finish  Campaspe  ? 
Apelles.    Never  finish ;  for  always  in  absolute  beauty  there  is  some- 
what above  art. 

Lylt's  Campaspe. 

And  now,  what  song  should  I  sing  to  unveil  mj  Isis,  if 
indeed  she  was  present  unseen?  I  hurried  awaj  to  the 
white  hall  of  Phantasy,  heedless  of  the  innumerable  forms 
of  beauty  that  crowded  my  way ;  these  might  cross  my 
eyes,  but  the  unseen  filled  my  brain.  I  wandered  long,  up 
and  down  the  silent  space ;  no  songs  came.  My  soul  was 
not  still  enough  for  songs.  Only  in  the  silence  and  dark- 
ness of  the  soul's  night  do  those  stars  of  the  inward  firma- 
ment sink  to  its  lower  surface  from  the  singing  realms 
beyond,  and  shine  upon  the  conscious  spirit.  Here  all 
efibrt  was  unavailing.  If  they  came  not,  they  could  not 
be  found. 

Next  night  it  was  just  the  same.  I  walked  through 
the  red  glimmer  of  the  silent  hall ;  but  lonely  as  there  I 
walked,  as  lonely  trod  my  soul  up  and  down  the  halls  of 
the  brain.  At  last  I  entered  one  of  the  statue-halls.  The 
dance  had  just  commenced,  and  I  was  delighted  to  find  that 
I  was  free  of  their  assembly.     I  walked  on  till  I  came  to 


174  PHANTASIES: 

the  sacred  corner.  There  I  found  the  pedestal  just  as  I 
had  left  it,  with  the  faint  glimmer  as  of  white  feet  still 
resting  on  the  dead  black.  As  soon  as  I  saw  it,  I  seemed 
to  feel  a  presence  which  longed  to  become  visible,  and,  as  it 
were,  called  to  me  to  gift  it  with  self- manifestation,  that  it 
might  shine  on  me.  The  power  of  song  came  to  me.  But 
the  moment  my  voice,  though  I  sang  low  and  soft,  stirred 
the  air  of  the  hall,  the  dancers  started ;  the  quick  inter- 
weaving crowd  shook,  lost  its  form,  divided;  each  figure 
sprang  to  its  pedestal,  and  stood,  a  self-evolving  life  no 
more,  but  a  rigid,  life-like,  marble  shape,  with  the  whole 
form  composed  into  the  expression  of  a  single  state  or  act. 
Silence  rolled  like  a  spiritual  thunder  through  the  grand 
space.  Mj  song  had  ceased,  scared  at  its  own  influences. 
But  I  saw,  in  the  hand  of  one  of  the  statues  close  by  me,  a 
harp  whose  cords  yet  quivered.  I  remembered  that,  as  she 
bounded  past  me,  her  harp  had  brushed  against  my  arm ; 
so  the  spell  of  the  marble  had  not  enfolded  it.  I  sprang  to 
her,  and  with  a  gesture  of  entreaty  laid  my  hand  on  the 
harp.  The  marble  hand,  probably  from  its  contact  with  the 
uncharmed  harp,  had  strength  enough  to  relax  its  hold, 
and  yield  the  harp  to  me.  No  other  motion  indicated  life. 
Instinctively  I  struck  the  cords  and  sang.  And  not  to 
break  upon  the  record  of  my  song,  I  mention  here,  that,  as 
I  sang  the  first  four  lines,  the  loveliest  feet  became  clear 
upon  the  black  pedestal ;  and  ever  as  I  sang,  it  was  as  if  a 
veil  were  being  lifted  up  from  before  the  form,  but  an  invis- 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  175 

ible  veil,  so  that  the  statue  appeared  to  grow  before  me,  not 
so  much  bj  evolution  as  by  infinitesimal  degrees  of  added 
height.  And  while  I  sang  I  did  not  feel  that  I  stood  by 
a  statue,  as  indeed  it  appeared  to  be,  but  that  a  real  woman- 
soul  was  revealing  itself  by  successive  stages  of  embodiment, 
and  consequent  manifestation  and  expression. 

*'  Feet  of  beauty,  firmly  planting 

Arches  white  on  rosy  heel ! 
Whence  the  life-spring,  throbbing,  panting, 

Pulses  upward  to  reveal ! 
Fairest  things  know  least  despising ; 

Foot  and  earth  meet  tenderly ; 
'Tis  the  woman,  resting,  rising 

Upward  to  sublimity. 

"  Rise  the  limbs,  sedately  sloping, 

Strong  and  gentle,  full  and  free ; 
Soft  and  slow,  like  certain  hoping, 

Drawing  nigh  the  broad,  firm  knee. 
Up  to  speech !     As  up  to  roses 

Pants  the  life  from  leaf  to  flower, 
So  each  blending  change  discloses, 
.  Nearer  still,  expression's  power. 

"  Lo  !  fair  sweeps,  white  surges,  twining 

Up  and  outward  fearlessly  ! 
Temple  columns,  close  combining, 

Lift  a  holy  mystery. 
Heart  of  mine  !  what  strange  surprises 

Mount  aloft  on  such  a  stair ! 
Some  great  vision  upward  rises, 

Curving,  bending,  floating  fair. 


176  ^  PHANTASIES : 

"Bands  and  sweeps,  and  hill  and  hollow, 

Lead  my  fascinated  eye  ; 
Some  apocalypse  will  follow, 

Some  new  word  of  deity. 
Zoned  unseen,  and  outward  swelling, 

With  new  thoughts  and  wonders  rife, 
Queenly  majesty  foretelling. 

See  the  expanding  house  of  life ! 

"  Sudden  heaving,  unforbidden 

Sighs  eternal,  still  the  same ; 
Mounts  of  snow  have  summits  hidden 

In  the  mists  of  uttered  flame. 
But  the  spirit,  dawning  nearly, 

Finds  no  speeflh  for  earnest  pain ; 
Finds  a  soundless  sighing  merely,  — 

Builds  its  stairs,  and  mounts  again. 

"  Heart,  the  queen,  with  secret  hoping, 

Sendeth  out  her  waiting  pair ; 
Hands,  blind  hands,  half  blindly  groping. 

Half  enclasping  visions  rare ; 
And  the  great  arms,  heartways  bending; 

Might  of  Beauty,  drawing  home ; 
There  returning,  and  reblending. 

Where  from  roots  of  love  they  roam. 

*'  Build  thy  slopes  of  radiance  beamy, 

Spirit,  fair  with  womanhood ! 
Tower  thy  precipice,  white-gleamy, 

Climb  unto  the  hour  of  good. 
Dumb  space  will  be  rent  asunder, 

Now  the  shining  column  stands 
Ready  to  be  crowned  with  wonder 

By  the  builder's  joyous  hands. 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  177 

* '  All  the  lines  abroad  are  spreading, 

Like  a  fountain's  failing  race. 
Lo,  the  chin,  first  feature,  treading, 

Airy  foot  to  rest  the  face  ! 
Speech  is  nigh;  oh,  see  the  blushing 

Sweet  approach  of  lip  and  breath ! 
Round  the  mouth  dim  silence,  hushing, 

Waits  to  die  ecstatic  death. 

"  Span  across  in  treble  curving, 

Bow  of  promise,  upper  lip! 
Set  them  free,  Avith  gracious  swerving ; 

Let  the  wing-words  float  and  dip. 
Dumb  art  thou  ?     O  Love  immortal, 

More  than  words  thy  speech  must  be ; 
Childless  yet  the  tender  portal 

Of  the  home  of  melody. 

"Now  the  nostrils  open  fearless, 

Proud  in  calm  unconsciousness. 
Sure  it  must  be  something  peerless 

That  the  great  Pan  would  express  ! 
Deepens,  crowds  some  meaning  tender, 

In  the  pure,  dear  lady-face. 
Lo,  a  blinding  burst  of  splendor !  — 

'Tis  the  free  soul's  issuing  grace. 

"  Two  calm  lakes  of  molten  glory 

Circling  round  unfathomed  deeps ! 
Lightning-flashes,  transitory, 

Cross  the  gulfs  where  darkness  sleeps. 
This  the  gate,  at  last,  of  gladness, 

To  the  outward-striving  me  : 

In  the  rain  of  light  and  sadness,  f 

Out  its  loves  and  longings  flee  ! 
12 


178  PHANTASIES  : 

"  "With  a  presence  I  am  smitten 

Dumb,  with  a  foreknown  surprise ; 
Presence  greater  yet  than  written 

Even  in  the  glorious  eyes. 
Through  the  gulfs,  with  inward  gazes, 

I  may  look  till  I  am  lost ; 
Wandering  deep  in  spirit-mazes, 

In  a  sea  without  a  coast. 

"Windows  open  to  the  glorious  ! 

Time  and  space,  oh,  far  beyond ! 
Woman,  ah !  thou  art  victorious, 

And  I  perish,  overfond. 
Springs  aloft  the  yet  Unspoken 

In  the  forehead's  endless  grace, 
Full  of  silences  unbroken ; 

Infinite,  unfeatured  face. 

**  Domes  above,  the  mount  of  wonder; 

Height  and  hollow  wrapt  in  night ; 
Hiding  in  its  caverns  under  • 

Woman-nations  in  their  might. 
Passing  forms,  the  highest  Human 

Faints  away  to  the  Divine  : 
Features  none,  of  man  or  woman, 

Can  unveil  the  holiest  shine. 

"  Sideways,  grooved  porches  only 

Visible  to  passing  eye, 
Stand  the  silent,  doorless,  lonely 

Entrance-gates  of  melody. 
But  all  sounds  fly  in  as  boldly, 

Groan  and  song,  and  kiss  and  cry, 
At  their  galleries,  lifted  coldly. 

Darkly,  'twixt  the  earth  and  sky. 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  179 

'  Beauty,  thou  art  spent,  thou  knowest : 

So,  in  faint,  half-glad  despair, 
From  the  summit  thou  o'erflowest 

In  a  fall  of  torrent  hair ; 
Hiding  what  thou  hast  created 

In  a  half-transparent  shroud : 
Thus,  with  glory  soft-abated, 

Shines  the  moon  through  vapory  cloud." 


1^0  PHANTASIES 


XYI. 

Selbst  der  Styx,  der  neunfach  sie  umwindet, 
Wehrt  die  Riickkehr  Ceres  Tochter  nicht ; 

Nach  dem  Apfel  greift  sie,  und  es  bindet 
Ewig  sie  des  Orkus  Pflicht. 

Schiller.  —  Das  Ideal  und  das  Leben. 

Ev'n  the  Styx,  which  ninefold  her  infoldeth, 

Hems  not  Ceres'  daughter  in  its  flow ; 
But  she  grasps  the  apple  —  ever  holdeth 

Her,  sad  Orcus,  down  below. 

Ever  as  I  sang,  the  veil  was  uplifted ;  ever  as  I  sang, 
the  signs  of  life  grew ;  till,  when  the  eyes  dawned  upon  me, 
it  was  with  that  sunrise  of  splendor  which  my  feeble  song 
attempted  to  re-embodj.  The  wonder  is  that  I  was  not 
altogether  overcome,  but  was  able  to  complete  my  song  as 
the  unseen  veil  continued  to  rise.  This  ability  came  solely 
from  the  state  of  mental  elevation  in  which  I  found  myself. 
Only  because  uplifted  in  song,  was  I  able  to  endure  the 
blaze  of  the  dawn.  But  I  cannot  tell  whether  she  looked 
more  of  statue  or  more  of  woman ;  she  seemed  removed  into 
that  region  of  phantasy  where  all  is  intensely  vivid,  but 
nothing  clearly  defined.  At  last,  as  I  sang  of  her  descend- 
ing hair,  the  glow  of  soul  faded  away  like  a  dying  sunset. 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  181 

A  lamp  within  had  been  extinguished,  and  the  house  of  life 
shone  blank  in  a  winter  morn.  She  was  a  statue  once 
more  —  but  visible,  and  that  was  much  gained.  Yet  the 
revulsion  from  hope  and  fruition  was  such,  that,  unable  to 
restrain  myself,  I  sprang  to  her,  and,  in  defiance  of  the  law 
of  the  place,  flung  my  arms  around  her,  as  if  I  would  tear 
her  from  the  grasp  of  a  visible  death,  and  lifted  her  from 
the  pedestal  down  to  my  heart.  But  no  sooner  had  her 
feet  ceased  to  be  in  contact  with  the  black  .pedestal  than 
she  shuddered  and  trembled  all  over ;  then,  writhing  from 
my  arms,  before  I  could  tighten  their  hold,  she  sprang  into 
the  corridor,  with  the  reproachful  cry,  "  You  should  not 
have  touched  me  !  "  darted  behind  one  of  the  exterior 
pillars  of  the  circle,  and  disappeared,  I  followed  almost  as 
fast ;  but  ere  I  could  reach  the  pillar  the  sound  of  a  closing 
door,  the  saddest  of  all  sounds  sometimes,  fell  on  my  ear ; 
and  arriving  at  the  spot  where  she  had  vanished,  I  saw, 
lighted  by  a  pale,  yellow  lamp  which  hung  above  it,  a 
heavy,  rough  door,  altogether  unlike  any  others  I  had  seen 
in  the  palace ;  for  they  were  all  of  ebony  or  ivory,  or 
covered  with  silver  plates,  or  of  some  odorous  wood,  and  very 
ornate,  whereas  this  seemed  of  old  oak,  with  heavy  nails 
and  iron  studs.  Notwithstanding  the  precipitation  of  my 
pursuit,  I  could  not  help  reading  in  silver  letters  beneath 
the  lamp,  "  No  one  enters  here  without  the  leave  of  the 
queen.'"  But  what  was  the  queen  to  me,  when  I  followed 
my  white  lady  ?     I  dashed  the  door  to  the  wall,  and  sprang 


182  PHANTASIES : 

through.  Lo  !  I  stood  on  a  waste  windj  hill.  Great 
stones  like  tombstones  stood  all  about  me.  No  door,  no 
palace,  was  to  be  seen.  A  white  figure  gleamed  past  me, 
wringing  her  hands,  and  crying,  "Ah!  you  should  have 
sung  to  me  —  you  should  have  sung  to  me!"  and  dis- 
appeared behind  one  of  the  stones.  I  followed.  A  cold 
gust  of  wind  met  me  from  behind  the  stone ;  and  when  I 
looked  I  saw  nothing  but  a  great  hole  in  the  earth,  into 
which  I  could  find  no  way  of  entering.  Had  she  fallen  in  ? 
I  could  not  tell.  I  must  wait  for  the  daylight.  I  sat  down 
and  wept,  for  there  was  no  help. 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  183 


XYIL 

Anfangs  ■woUt'  ich  fast  verzagen, 

Und  ich  glaubt'  ich  triig'  es  nie ; 
Und  ich  hab'  es  doch  getragen,  — 

Aber  fragt  mich  nur  nicht :  wie  ? 

Heine. 

First,  I  thought,  almost  despairing, 

This  must  crush  my  spirit  now ; 
Yet  I  bore  it,  and  am  bearing,  — 

Only  do  not  ask  me  how. 

When  the  daylight  came,  it  brought  the  possibility 
of  action,  but  with  it  little  of  consolation.  With  the 
first  visible  increase  of  light  I  gazed  into  the  chasm,  but 
could  not,  for  more  than  an  hour,  see  sufficiently  well  to 
discover  its  nature.  At  last  I  saw  it  was  almost  a  perpen- 
dicular opening,  like  a  roughly  excavated  well,  only  very 
large.  I  could  perceive  no  bottom  ;  and  it  was  not  till  the 
sun  actually  rose  that  I  discovered  a  sort  of  natural  stair- 
case, in  many  parts  little  more  than  suggested,  which  led 
round  and  round  the  gulf,  descending  spirally  into  its 
abyss.  I  saw  at  once  that  this  was  my  path  ;  and  without 
a  moment's  hesitation,  glad  to  quit  the  sunlight,  which 
stared  at  me  most  heartlessly,  I  commenced  my  tortuous 


184  PHANTASTES : 

descent.  It  was  very  difficult.  In  some  parts  I  had  to 
cling  to  the  rocks  like  a  bat.  In  one  place  I  dropped  from 
the  track  down  upon  the  next  returning  spire  of  the  stair, 
which,  being  broad  in  this  particular  portion,  and  standing 
out  from  the  wall  at  right  angles,  received  me  upon  my 
feet  safe,  though  somewhat  stupefied  by  the  shock.  After 
descending  a  great  way  I  found  the  stair  ended  at  a  narrow 
opening  which  entered  the  rock  horizontally.  Into  this  I 
crept,  and,  having  entered,  had  just  room  to  turn  round.  I 
put  my  head  out  into  the  shaft  by  which  I  had  come  down, 
and  surveyed  the  course  of  my  descent.  Looking  up,  I 
saw  the  stars ;  although  the  sun  must  by  this  time  have 
been  high  in  the  heavens.  Looking  below,  I  saw  that  the 
sides  of  the  shaft  went  sheer  down,  smooth  as  glass ;  and 
far  beneath  me  I  saw  the  reflection  of  the  same  stars  I  had 
seen  in  the  heavens  when  I  looked  up.  I  turned  again,  and 
crept  inwards  some  distance,  when  the  passage  widened,  and 
I  was  at  length  able  to  stand  and  walk  upright.  Wider 
and  loftier  grew  the  way  ;  new  paths  branched  off  on  every 
side ;  great  open  halls  appeared ;  till  at  last  I  found  my- 
self wandering  on  through  an  underground  country,  in 
which  the  sky  was  of  rock,  and,  instead  of  trees  and  flowers, 
there  were  only  fantastic  rocks  and  stones.  And  ever  as  I 
went,  darker  grew  my  thoughts,  till  at  last  I  had  no  hope 
whatever  of  finding  the  white  lady ;  I  no  longer  called  her 
to  myself  my  white  lady.     Wherever  a  choice  was  neces- 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  185 

sary,  I  always  chose  the  path  which  seemed  to  lead  down- 
wards. 

At  length  I  began  to  find  that  these  regions  were  inhab- 
ited. From  behind  a  rock  a  peal  of  harsh,  grating  laugh- 
ter, full  of  evil  humor,  rang,  through  my  ears,  and,  looking 
round,  I  saw  a  queer,  goblin  creature,  with  a  great  head 
and  ridiculous  features,  just  such  as  those  described,  in 
German  histories  and  travels,  as  Kobolds,  ''  What  do 
you  want  with  me?"  I  said.  He  pointed  at  me  with  a 
long  forefinger,  very  thick  at  the  root,  and  sharpened  to  a 
point,  and  answered,  "  He !  he  !  he !  what  do  you  want 
here?"  Then,  changing  his  tone,  he  continued,  with 
mock  humility :  "  Honored  sir,  vouchsafe  to  withdraw 
from  thy  slaves  the  lustre  of  thy  august  presence,  for  thy 
slaves  cannot  support  its  brightness."  A  second  appeared, 
and  struck  in:  "You  are  so  big,  you  keep  the  sun  from 
us.  We  can't  see  for  you,  and  we're  so  cold."  Thereupon 
arose,  on  all  sides,  the  most  terrific  uproar  of  laughter, 
from  voices  like  those  of  children  in  volume,  but  scrannel 
and  harsh  as  those  of  decrepit  age,  though,  unfortunately, 
without  its  weakness.  The  whole  pandemonium  of  fairy 
devils,  of  all  varieties  of  fantastic  ugliness,  both  in  form 
and  feature,  and  of  all  sizes  from  one  to  four  feet,  seemed 
to  have  suddenly  assembled  about  me.  At  length,  after  a 
great  babble  of  talk  among  themselves,  in  a  language  un- 
known to  me,  and  after  seemingly  endless  gesticulation, 
consultation,    elbow-nudging,    and    unmitigated    peals   of 


186  PHANTASTES: 

laughter,  they  formed  into  a  circle  about  one  of  their  num- 
ber, who  scrambled  upon  a  stone,  and,  much  to  my  sur- 
prise, and  somewhat  to  my  dismay,  began  to  sing,  in  a 
voice  corresponding  in  its  nature  to  his  talking  one,  from 
beginning  to  end,  the  song  with  which  I  had  brought  the 
light  into  the  eyes  of  the  white  lady.  He  sang  the  same 
air  too,  and  all  the  time  maintained  a  face  of  mock  en- 
treaty and  worship,  accompanying  the  song  with  the 
travestied  gestures  of  one  playing  on  the  lute.  The  whole 
assembly  kept  silence,  except  at  the  close  of  every  verse, 
when  they  roared,  and  danced,  and  shouted  with  laughter, 
and  flung  themselves  on  the  ground,  in  real  or  pretended 
convulsions  of  delight.  When  he  had  finished,  the  singer 
threw  himself  from  the  top  of  the  stone,  turning  heels  over 
head  several  times  in  his  descent ;  and  when  he  did  alight  it 
was  on  the  top  of  his  head,  on  which  he  hopped  about, 
making  the  most  grotesque  gesticulations  with  his  legs  in 
the  air.  Inexpressible  laughter  followed,  which  broke  up 
in  a  shower  of  tiny  stones  from  innumerable  hands.  They 
could  not  materially  injure  me,  although  they  cut  me  on 
the  head  and  face.  I  attempted  to  run  away,  but  they  all 
rushed  upon  me,  and,  laying  hold  of  every  part  that 
afforded  a  grasp,  held  me  tight.  Crowding  about  me  like 
bees,  they  shouted  an  insect-swarm  of  exasperating  speeches 
up  into  my  face,  among  which  the  most  frequently  recur- 
ring were :  "You  shan't  have  herj  you  shan't  have  her; 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  187 

he  !  he  !  he  !  She's  for  a  better  man  ;  she's  for  a  better 
man  ;  how  he'll  kiss  her  !   how  he'll  kiss  her  !  " 

The  galvanic  torrent  of  this  battery  of  malevolence  stung 
to  life  within  me  a  spark  of  nobleness,  and  I  said  aloud, 
"  Well,  if  he  is  a  better  man,  let  him  have  her." 

They  instantly  let  go  their  hold  of  me,  and  fell  back  a 
step  or  two,  with  a  whole  broadside  of  grunts  and  humphs, 
as  of  unexpected  and  disappointed  approbation.  I  made  a 
step  or  two  forward,  and  a  lane  was  instantly  opened  for 
me  through  the  midst  of  the  grinning  little  antics,  who 
bowed  most  politely  to  me  on  every  side  as  I  passed. 
After  I  had  gone  a  few  yards  I  looked  back,  and  saw  them 
all  standing  quite  still,  looking  after  me,  like  a  great  school 
of  boys,  till  suddenly  one  turned  round,  and  with  a  loud 
whoop  rushed  into  the  midst  of  the  others.  In  an  instant 
the  whole  was  one  writhing  and  tumbling  heap  of  contor- 
tion, reminding  me  of  the  live  pyramids  of  intertwined 
snakes  of  which  travellers  make  report.  As  soon  as  one 
was  worked  out  of  the  mass,  he  bounded  off  a  few  paces, 
and  then,  with  a  somerset  and  a  run,  threw  himself  gyrat- 
ing into  the  air,  and  descended  with  all  his  weight  on  the 
summit  of  the  heaving  and  struggling  chaos  of  fantastic 
figures.  I  left  them  still  busy  at  this  fierce  and  apparently 
aimless  amusement.     And  as  I  went,  I  sang  :  — 

"  If  a  nobler  waits  for  thee, 
I  will  weep  aside  : 
It  is  well  that  thou  should'st  be, 
Of  the  nobler,  bride. 


188  PHANTASTES : 

"  For  if  love  builds  up  the  home, 
Where  the  heart  is  free, 
Homeless  yet  the  heart  must  roam, 
That  has  not  found  thee. 

"  One  must  suffer :  I,  for  her, 
Yield  in  her  my  part. 
Take  her,  thou  art  worthier ; 
Still !  be  still,  my  heart ! 

"  Gift  ungotten !  largess  high 
Of  a  frustrate  will ! 
But  to  yield  it  lovingly 
Is  a  something  still." 

Then  a  little  song  arose  of  itself  in  my  soul ;  and  I  felt 
for  the  moment,  while  it  sang  sadlj  within  me,  as  if  I  was 
once  more  walking  up  and  down  the  white  hall  of  Phantasy 
in  the  Fairy  Palace.  But  this  lasted  no  longer  than  the 
song,  as  will  be  seen. 

"  Do  not  vex  thy  violet 
Perfume  to  afford ; 
Else  no  odor  thou  wilt  get 
From  its  little  hoard. 

"  In  thy  lady's  gracious  eyes 
Look  not  thou  too  long ; 
Else  from  them  the  glory  flies. 
And  thou  dost  her  wrong. 

"  Come  not  thou  too  near  the  maid. 
Clasp  her  not  too  wild ; 
Else  the  splendor  is  allayed, 
And  thy  heart  beguiled." 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  189 

A  crash  of  laughter,  more  discordant  and  deriding  than 
any  I  had  yet  heard,  invaded  my  ears.  Looking  on  in  the 
direction  of  the  sound,  I  saw  a  little,  elderly  woman,  much 
taller,  however,  than  the  goblins  I  had  just  left,  seated 
upon  a  stone  by  the  side  of  the  path.  She  rose,  as  I  drew 
near,  and  came  forward  to  meet  me.  She  was  very  plain  and 
commonplace  in  appearance,  without  being  hideously  ugly. 
Looking  up  in  my  face  with  a  stupid  sneer,  she  said, 
"  Isn't  it  a  pity  you  haven't  a  pretty  girl  to  walk  all  alone 
with  you  through  this  sweet  country?  How  different 
everything  would  look !  wouldn't  it  ?  Strange  that  one 
can  never  have  what  one  would  like  best !  How  the  roses 
would  bloom  and  all  that,  even  in  this  infernal  hole ! 
wouldn't  they,  Anodos?  Her  eyes  would  light  up  the  old 
cave,  wouldn't  they?" 

"  That  depends  on  who  the  pretty  girl  should  be,"  re- 
plied I. 

"  Not  so  very  much  matter  that,"  she  answered;  "look 
here !  " 

I  had  turned  to  go  away  as  I  gave  my  reply,  but  now  I 
stopped  and  looked  at  her.  As  a  rough,  unsightly  bud 
might  suddenly  blossom  into  the  most  lovely  flower;  or 
rather,  as  a  sunbeam  bursts  through  a  shapeless  cloud,  and 
transfigures  the  earth ;  so  burst  a  face  of  resplendent 
beauty,  as  it  were  through  the  unsightly  visage  of  the 
,  woman,  destroying  it  with  light  as  it  dawned  through  it. 
!  A  summer  sky  arose  above  me,  gray  with  heat ;  across  a 


190  PHANTASTES  : 

shining,  slumbrous  landscape  looked  from  afar  the  peaks 
of  snow-capped  mountains;  and  down  from  a  great  rock 
beside  me  fell  a  sheet  of  water  mad  with  its  own  delight. 

"  Stay  with  me,"  she  said,  lifting  up  her  exquisite  face, 
and  looking  full  in  mine. 

I  drew  back.  Again  the  infernal  laugh  grated  upon  my 
ears ;  again  the  rocks  closed  in  around  me,  and  the  ugly 
woman  looked  at  me  with  wicked,  mocking  hazel  eyes. 

"You  shall  have  your  reward,"  said  she.  "You  shall 
see  your  white  lady  again." 

"That  lies  not  with  you,"  I  replied,  and  turned  and 
left  her. 

She  followed  me  with  shriek  upon  shriek  of  laughter,  as 
I  went  on  my  way. 

I  may  mention  here,  that,  although  there  was  always 
light  enough  to  see  my  path  and  a  few  yards  on  every  side 
of  me,  I  never  could  find  out  the  source  of  this  sad  sepul- 
chral illumination. 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  191 


XVIII. 

Im  Sausen  des  Windes,  im  Brausen  des  Meers, 

Und  im  Seufzen  der  eigenen  Brust. 

Heine. 

In  the  wind's  uproar,  the  sea's  raging  grim, 
And  the  sighs  that  are  born  in  him. 


Ja,  est  wird  zwar  ein  anderes  Zeitalter  kommen,  wo  es  Licht  wird, 
und  wo  der  Mensch  aus  erhabnen  Traiimen  erwacht,  und  die  Traiime 
—  wieder  findet,  weil  er  nichts  verlor  als  den  Schlaf." 

Jean  Paul.  —  Hesperus. 

Prom  dreams  of  bliss  shall  men  awake 

One  day,  but  not  to  weep : 
The  dreams  remain ;  they  only  break 

The  mirror  of  the  sleep. 

How  I  got  through  this  dreary  part  of  my  travels,  I  do 
not  know.  I  do  not  think  I  was  upheld  by  the  hope  that 
any  moment  the  light  might  break  in  upon  me;  for  I 
scarcely  thought  about  that.  I  went  on  with  a  dull  endur- 
ance, varied  by  moments  of  uncontrollable  sadness;  for 
more  and  more  the  conviction  grew  upon  me  that  I  should 
never  see  the  white  lady  again.  It  may  seem  strange  that 
one  with  whom  I  had  held  so  little  communion  should  have 
so  engrossed  my  thoughts ;  but  benefits  conferred  awaken 
love  in  some  minds,  as  surely  as  benefits  received  in  others. 


192  PHANTASIES : 

Besides  being  delighted  and  proud  that  my  songs  had  called 
the  beautiful  creature  to  life,  the  same  fact  caused  me  to 
feel  a  tenderness  unspeakable  for  her,  accompanied  with  a 
kind  of  feeling  of  property  in  her ;  for  so  the  goblin  Selfish- 
ness would  reward  the  angel  Love.  When  to  all  this  is 
added  an  overpowering  sense  of  her  beauty,  and  an  un- 
questioning conviction  that  this  was  a  true  index  to  inward 
loveliness,  it  may  be  understood  how  it  came  to  pass  that 
my  imagination  filled  my  whole  soul  with  the  play  of  its 
own  multitudinous  colors  and  harmonies  around  the  form 
which  yet  stood,  a  gracious  marble  radiance,  in  the  midst 
of  its  white  hall  of  phantasy.  The  time  passed  by  un- 
heeded ;  for  my  thoughts  were  busy.  Perhaps  this  was 
also  in  part  the  cause  of  my  needing  no  food,  and  never 
thinking  how  I  should  find  any,  during  this  subterraneous 
part  of  my  travels.  How  long  they  endured  I  could  not 
tell,  for  I  had  no  means  of  measuring  time ;  and  when  I 
looked  back  there  was  such  a  discrepancy  between  the 
decisions  of  my  imagination  and  my  judgment,  as  to  the 
length  of  time  that  had  passed,  that  I  was  bewildered,  and 
gave  up  all  attempts  to  arrive  at  any  conclusion  on  the 
point. 

A  gray  mist  continually  gathered  behind  me.  When  I 
looked  back  towards  the  past,  this  mist  was  the  medium 
through  which  my  eyes  had  to  strain  for  a  vision  of  what 
had  gone  by ;  and  the  form  of  the  white  lady  had  receded 
into  an  unknown  region.     At  length  the  country  of  rock 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  193 

began  to  close  again  around  me,  gradually  and  slowly 
narrowing,  till  I  found  myself  walking  in  a  gallery  of  rock 
once  more,  both  sides  of  which  I  could  touch  with  my  out- 
stretched hands.  It  narrowed  yet,  until  I  was  forced  to 
move  carefully,  in  order  to  avoid  striking  against  the  pro- 
jecting pieces  of  rock.  The  roof  sank  lower  and  lower, 
until  I  was  compelled,  first  to  stoop,  and  then  to  creep  on 
my  hands  and  knees.  It  recalled  terrible  dreams  of  child- 
hood ;  but  I  was  not  much  afraid,  because  I  felt  sure  that 
this  was  my  path,  and  my  only  hope  of  leaving  Fairy-land, 
of  which  I  was  now  almost  weary. 

At  length,  on  getting  past  an  abrupt  turn  in  the  passage, 
through  which  I  had  to  force  myself,  I  saw,  a  few  yards 
ahead  of  me,  the  long-forgotten  daylight  shining  through 
a  small  opening,  to  which  the  path,  if  path  it  could  now  be 
called,  led  me.  With  gre;it  difiiculty  I  accomplished  these 
last  few  yards  and  came  forth  to  the  day.  I  stood  on  the 
shore  of  a  wintry  sea,  with  a  wintry  sun  just  a  few  feet 
above  its  horizon-edge.  It  was  bare,  and  waste,  and  gray. 
Hundreds  of  hopeless  waves  rushed  constantly  shorewards, 
falling  exhausted  upon  a  beach  of  great  loose  stones,  that 
seemed  to  stretch  miles  and  miles  in  both  directions.  There 
was  nothing  for  the  eye  but  mingling  shades  of  gray  ;  noth- 
ing for  the  ear  but  the  rush  of  the  coming,  the  roar  of  the 
breaking,  and  the  moan  of  the  retreating  wave.  No  rock 
lifted  up  a  sheltering  severity  above  the  dreariness  around ; 

even  that  from  which  I  had  myself  emerged  rose  scarcely 
13 


194  PHANTASTES : 

a  foot  above  the  opening  by  -which  I  had  reached  the  dismal 
day,  more  dismal  even  than  the  tomb  I  had  left.  A  cold, 
death-like  wind  swept  across  the  shore,  seeming  to  issue 
from  a  pale  mouth  of  cloud  upon  the  horizon.  Sign  of  life 
was  nowhere  visible.  I  wandered  over  the  stones,  up  and 
down  the  beach,  a  human  embodiment  of  the  nature  around 
me.  The  wind  increased ;  its  keen  waves  flowed  through 
my  soul ;  the  foam  rushed  higher  up  the  stones  ;  a  few  dead 
stars  began  to  gleam  in  the  east ;  the  sound  of  the  waves 
grew  louder  and  yet  more  despairing.  A  dark  curtain  of 
cloud  was  lifted  up,  and  a  pale-blue  rent  shone  between  its 
foot  and  the  edge  of  the  sea,  out  from  which  rushed  an  icy 
storm  of  frozen  wind,  that  tore  the  waters  into  spray  as  it 
passed,  and  flung  the  billows  in  raving  heaps  upon  the 
desolate  shore.     I  could  bear  it  no  longer. 

"  I  will  not  be  tortured  to  death,"  I  cried ;  "  I  will  meet 
it  half-Avay.  The  life  within  me  is  yet  enough  to  bear  me 
up  to  the  face  of  Death,  and  then  I  die  unconquered." 

Before  it  had  grown  so  dark  I  had  observed,  though 
without  any  particular  interest,  that  on  one  part  of  the 
shore  a  low  platform  of  rock  seemed  to  run  out  far  into  the 
midst  of  the  breaking  waters.  Towards  this  I  now  went, 
scrambling  over  smooth  stones,  to  which  scarce  even  a 
particle  of  sea-weed  clung ;  and,  having  found  it,  I  got  on 
it,  and  followed  its  direction,  as  near  as  I  could  guess,  out 
into  the  tumbling  chaos.  I  could  hardly  keep  my  feet 
against  the  wind  and  sea.     The  waves  repeatedly  all  but 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  195 

swept  me  oflf  my  path ;  but  I  kept  on  my  way  till  I  reached 
the  end  of  the  low  promontory,  which  in  the  fall  of  the 
waves  rose  a  good  many  feet  above  the  surface,  and  in  their 
rise  was  covered  with  their  waters.  I  stood  one  moment, 
and  gazed  into  the  heaving  abyss  beneath  me  ;  then  plunged 
headlong  into  the  mounting  wave  below.  A  blessing,  like 
the  kiss  of  a  mother,  seemed  to  alight  on  my  soul ;  a  calm, 
deeper  than  that  which  accompanies  a  hope  deferred,  bathed 
my  spirit.  I  sank  far  in  the  waters,  and  sought  not  to 
return.  I  felt  as  if  once  more  the  great  arms  of  the  beech- 
tree  were  around  me,  soothing  me  after  the  miseries  I  had 
passed  through,  and  telling  me,  like  a  little  sick  child,  that 
I  should  be  better  to-morrow.  The  waters  of  themselves 
lifted  me,  as  with  loving  arms,  to  the  surface.  I  breathed 
again,  but  did  not  unclose  my  eyes.  I  would  not  look  on 
the  wintry  sea  and  the  pitiless  gray  sky.  Thus  I  floated 
till  something  gently  touched  me.  It  was  a  little  boat 
floating  beside  me.  How  it  came  there  I  could  not  tell ; 
but  it  rose  and  sank  on  the  waters,  and  kept  touching  me 
in  its  fall,  as  if  with  a  human  will  to  let  me  know  that  help 
was  J)y  me.  It  was  a  little  gay-colored  boat,  seemingly 
covered  with  glistering  scales  like  those  of  a  fish,  all  of 
brilliant  rainbow  hues.  I  scrambled  into  it,  and  lay  down 
in  the  bottom,  with  a  sense  of  exquisite  repose.  Then  I 
drew  over  me  a  rich,  heavy  purple  cloth  that  was  beside 
me ;  and,  lying  still,  knew,  by  the  sound  of  the  waters,  that 
my  little   bark   was   fleeting   rapidly   onwards.     Finding, 


196  PHANTASIES : 

however,  none  of  that  stormy  motion  which  the  sea  had 
manifested  when  I  beheld  it  from  the  shore,  I  opened  my 
eyes,  and,  looking  first  up,  saw  above  me  the  deep  violet 
sky  of  a  warm  southern  night,  and  then  lifting  my  head, 
saw  that  I  was  sailing  fast  upon  a  summer  sea,  in  the  last 
border  of  a  southern  twilight.  The  aureole  of  the  sun  yet 
shot  the  extreme  faint  tips  of  its  longest  rays  above  the 
horizon-waves  and  withdrew  them  not.  It  was  a  perpetual 
twilight.  The  stars,  great  and  earnest,  like  children's  eyes, 
bent  down  lovingly  towards  the  waters ;  and  the  reflected 
stars  within  seemed  to  float  up,  as  if  longing  to  meet  their 
embraces.  But  when  I  looked  down,  a  new  wonder  met  my 
view;  for,  vaguely  revealed  beneath  the  wave,  I  floated 
above  my  whole  Past.  The  fields  of  my  childhood  flitted 
by  ;  the  halls  of  my  youthful  labors ;  the  streets  of  great 
cities  where  I  had  dwelt ;  and  the  assemblies  of  men  and 
women  wherein  I  had  wearied  myself  seeking  for  rest. 
But  so  indistinct  were  the  visions,  that  sometimes  I  thought 
that  I  was  sailing  on  a  shallow  sea,  and  that  strange  rocks 
and  forests  of  sea-plants  beguiled  my  eye,  sufficiently  to  be 
transformed  by  the  magic  of  the  phantasy  into  well-known 
objects  and  regions.  Yet  at  times  a  beloved  form  seemed 
to  lie  close  beneath  me  in  sleep,  and  the  eyelids  would 
tremble  as  if  about  to  forsake  the  conscious  eye,  and  the 
arms  would  heave  upwards  as  if  in  dreams  they  sought  for 
a  satisfying  presence.  But  these  motions  might  come  only 
from  the  heaving  of  the  waters  between  those  forms  and  me. 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  197 

Soon  I  fell  asleep,  overcome  with  fatigue  and  delight.  In 
dreams  of  unspeakable  joy,  —  of  restored  friendships ;  of 
revived  embraces  ;  of  love  which  said  it  had  never  died  ;  of 
faces  that  had  vanished  long  ago,  yet  said  with  smiling  lips 
that  they  knew  nothing  of  the  grave  ;  of  pardons  implored, 
and  granted  with  such  bursting  floods  of  love,  that  I  was 
almost  glad  I  had  sinned,  —  thus  I  passed  through  this 
wondrous  twilight.  I  awoke  with  the  feeling  that  I  had 
been  kissed  and  loved  to  my  heart's  content;  and  found  that 
my  boat  was  floating  motionless  by  the  grassy  shore  of  a 
little  island. 


198  PHANTASIES  : 


XIX. 

In  stiller  Eulie,  in  wechselloser  Einfalt  fiihr  ich  ununterbrochen 
das  Bewusstseyn  der  ganzen  Menschheit  in  mir. 

ScHLEiERMACHEE.  —  Monologeu. 

In  still  rest,  in  changeless  simplicity,  I  bear,  uninterrupted,  the  con- 
sciousness of  the  whole  of  Humanity  within  me. 


such  a  sweetness,  such  a  grace 

In  all  thy  speech  appear, 
That  what  to  th'  eye  a  beauteous  face, 

That  thy  tongue  is  to  the  ear. 


Cowley. 


The  -water  was  deep  to  the  very  edge,  and  I  sprang 
from  the  little  boat  upon  a  soft,  grassy  turf.  The  island 
seemed  rich  with  a  profusion  of  all  grasses  and  low  flowers. 
All  delicate,  lowly  things  were  most  plentiful ;  but  no  trees 
rose  skywards ;  not  even  a  bush  overtopped  the  tall  grasses, 
except  in  one  place  near  the  cottage  I  am  about  to  describe, 
where  a  few  plants  of  the  gum-cistus,  which  drops  every 
night  all  the  blossoms  that  the  day  brings  forth,  formed  a 
kind  of  natural  arbor.  The  whole  island  lay  open  to  the 
sky  and  sea.  It  rose  nowhere  more  than  a  few  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  waters,  which  flowed  deep  all  around  its 
border.     Here  there  seemed  to  be  neither  tide  nor  storm. 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  199 

A  sense  of  persistent  calm  and  fulness  arose  in  the  mind  at 
the  sight  of  the  slow,  pulse-like  rise  and  fall  of  the  deep, 
clear,  unrippled  waters  against  the  bank  of  the  island,  for 
shore  it  could  hardly  be  called,  being  so  much  more  like 
the  edge  of  a  full,  solemn  river.  As  I  walked  over  the 
grass  towards  the  cottage,  which  stood  at  a  little  distance 
from  the  bank,  all  the  flowers  of  childhood  looked  at  me 
with  perfect  child-eyes  out  of  the  grass.  My  heart,  soft- 
ened by  the  dreams  through  which  it  had  passed,  over- 
flowed in  a  sad,  tender  love  towards  them.  They  looked  to 
me  like  children  impregnably  fortified  in  a  helpless  confi- 
dence. The  sun  stood  half  way  down  the  western  sky, 
shining  very  soft  and  golden ;  and  there  grew  a  second 
world  of  shadows  amidst  the  world  of  grasses  and  wild 
flowers. 

The  cottage  was  square,  with  low  walls,  and  a  high  py- 
ramidal roof  thatched  with  long  reeds,  of  which  the  withered 
blossoms  hung  over  all  the  eaves.  It  is  noticeable  that 
most  of  the  buildings  I  saw  in  Fairy-land  were  cottages. 
There  was  no  path  to  a  door,  nor,  indeed,  was  there  any 
track  worn  by  footsteps  in  the  island.  The  cottage  rose 
right  out  of  the  smooth  turf  It  had  no  windows  that  I 
could  see ;  but  there  was  a  door  in  the  centre  of  the  side 
facing  me,  up  to  which  I  went.  I  knocked,  and  the  sweet- 
est voice  I  had  ever  heard  said,  "  Come  in."'  I  entered. 
A  bright  fire  was  burning  on  a  hearth  in  the  centre  of  the 
earthen  floor,  and  the  smoke  found  its  way  out  at  an  open- 


200  PHANTASTES : 

ing  in  the  centre  of  the  pyramidal  roof.  Over  the  fire  hung 
a  little  pot,  and  over  the  pot  bent  a  woman-face,  the  most 
wonderful,  I  thought,  that  I  had  ever  beheld.  For  it  was 
older  than  any  countenance  I  had  ever  looked  upon. 
There  was  not  a  spot  in  which  a  wrinkle  could  lie,  where  a 
wrinkle  lay  not.  And  the  skin  was  ancient  and  brown, 
like  old  parchment.  The  woman's  form  was  tall  and 
spare,  and  when  she  stood  up  to  welcome  me,  I  saw  that 
she  was  straight  as  an  arrow.  Could  that  voice  of  sweet- 
ness have  issued  from  those  lips  of  age  ?  Mild  as  they 
were,  could  they  be  the  portals  whence  flowed  such  mel- 
ody ?  But  the  moment  I  saw  her  eyes,  I  no  longer  won- 
dered at  her  voice  ;  they  were  absolutely  young,  —  those  of 
a  woman  of  five-and-twenty,  large,  and  of  a  clear  gray. 
Wrinkles  had  beset  them  all  about ;  the  eyelids  themselves 
were  old,  and  heavy,  and  worn;  but  the  eyes  were  very 
incarnations  of  soft  light.  She  held  out  her  hand  to  me, 
and  the  voice  of  sweetness  again  greeted  me,  with  the  sin- 
gle word,"  Welcome  !  "  She  set  an  old  wooden  chair  for 
me,  near  the  fire,  and  went  on  with  her  cooking.  A  won- 
drous sense  of  refuge  and  repose  came  upon  me.  I  felt 
like  a  boy  who  has  got  home  from  school,  miles  across  the 
liills,  through  a  heavy  storm  of  wind  and  snow.  Almost, 
as  I  gazed  on  her,  I  sprang  from  my  seat  to  kiss  those  old 
lips.  And  when,  having  finished  her  cooking,  she  brought 
some  of  the  dish  she  had  prepared,  and  set  it  on  a  little 
table  by  me,  covered  with  snow-white  cloth,  I  could  not 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  201 

help  laying  my  head  on  her  bosom,  and  bursting  into 
happy  tears.  She  put  her  arms  round  me,  saying,  "  Poor 
child  !  poor  child  !  ' ' 

As  I  continued  to  weep,  she  gently  disengaged  herself; 
and,  taking  a  spoon,  put  some  of  the  food  (I  did  not  know 
what  it  was)  to  my  lips,  entreating  me  most  endearingly  to 
swallow  it.  To  please  her,  I  made  an  effort,  and  succeeded. 
She  went  on  feeding  me  like  a  baby,  with  one  arm  around 
me,  till  I  looked  up  in  her  face  and  smiled ;  then  she  gave 
me  the  spoon,  and  told  me  to  eat,  for  it  would  do  me  good. 
I  obeyed  her,  and  found  myself  wonderfully  refreshed. 
Then  she  drew  near  the  fire  an  old-fashioned  couch  that  was 
in  the  cottage,  and,  making  me  lie  down  upon  it,  sat  at  my 
feet,  and  began  to  sing.  Amazing  store  of  old  ballads 
rippled  from  her  lips,  over  the  pebbles  of  ancient  tunes  ; 
and  the  voice  that  sang  was  sweet  as  the  voice  of  a  tuneful 
maiden  that  singeth  ever  from  very  fulness  of  song.  The 
songs  were  almost  all  sad,  but  with  a  sound  of  comfort. 
One  I  can  faintly  recall.     It  was  something  like  this :  — 

"  Sir  Aglovaile  through  the  church-yard  rode ; 
Sing,  All  alone  I  lie  : 
Little  recked  he  where'er  he  yode. 
All  alone,  up  in  the  sky. 

"  Swerved  his  courser,  and  plunged  with  fear; 
,  All  alo7ie  I  lie  : 

His  cry  might  have"  wakened  the  dead  men  near, 

All  alone,  up  in  the  sky. 


202  PHANTASTES : 

"  The  very  dead  that  lay  at  his  feet, 
Lapt  in  the  mouldy  winding-sheet. 

"  But  he  curbed  him  and  spurred  him,  until  he  stood 
Still  in  his  place,  like  a  horse  of  wood, 

"  "With  nostrils  uplift,  and  eyes  wide  and  wan; 
But  the  sweat  in  streams  from  his  fetlocks  ran. 

"  A  ghost  grew  out  of  the  shadowy  air. 
And  sat  in  the  midst  of  her  moony  hair. 

"  In  her  gleamy  hair  she  sat  and  wept; 
In  the  dreamful  moon  they  lay  and  slept; 

"  The  shadows  above,  and  the  bodies  below, 
Lay  and  slept  in  the  moonbeams  slow. 

"  And  she  sang  like  the  moan  of  an  autumn  wind 
Over  the  stubble  left  behind :  — 

"  '  Alas,  how  easily  things  go  wrong  ! 
A  sigh  too  much,  or  a  kiss  too  long, 
And  there  follows  a  mist  and  a  weeping  rain, 
And  life  is  never  the  same  again. 

"  '  Alas,  how  hardly  things  go  right  ! 
'Tis  hard  to  watch  in  a  summer  night, 
For  the  sigh  will  come,  and  the  kiss  will  stay, 
~-  And  the  summer  night  is  a  winter  day.' 

"  '  O  lovely  ghost,  my  heart  is  woe. 
To  see  thee  weeping  and  wailing  so. 

"  '  O  lovely  ghost,'  said  the  fearless  knight, 
'  Can  the  sword  of  a  warrior  set  it  right  ? 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  203 

"  '  Or  prayer  of  bedesman,  praying  mild, 
As  a  cup  of  water  a  feverish  child, 

*'  '  Soothe  thee  at  last,  in  dreamless  mood, 
To  sleep  the  sleep  a  dead  lady  should? 

"  *  Thine  eyes  they  fill  me  with  longing  sore. 
As  if  I  had  known  thee  for  evermore. 

"  '  O  lovely  ghost,  I  could  leave  the  day, 
To  sit  with  thee  in  the  moon  away, 

"  '  If  thou  wouldst  trust  me,  and  lay  thy  head 
To  rest  on  a  bosom  that  is  not  dead.' 

' '  The  lady  sprang  up  with  a  strange  ghost  cry. 
And  she  flung  her  white  ghost-arms  on  high ; 

"  And  she  laughed  a  laugh  that  was  not  gay. 
And  it  lengthened  out  till  it  died  away ; 

"  And  the  dead  beneath  turned  and  moaned, 
And  the  yew-trees  above  they  shuddered  and  groaned. 

"  *  Will  he  love  me  twice  with  a  love  that  is  vain? 
Will  he  kill  the  poor  ghost  yet  again  ? 

"  *  I  thought  thou  wert  good;  but  I  said,  and  wept: 
"  Can  I  have  dreamed  who  have  not  slept?" 

"  '  And  I  knew,  alas  !  or  ever  I  would. 
Whether  I  dreamed,  or  thou  wert  good. 

"  '  When  my  baby  died,  my  brain  grew  wild. 
I  awoke,  and  found  I  was  with  my  child.' 


204  PHANTASIES : 

"  '  If  thou  art  the  ghost  of  my  Adelaide, 
How  is  it?    Thou  wert'but  a  village  maid, 

"  '  And  thou  seemest  an  angel  lady  white, 
Though  thin,  and  wan,  and  past  delight.' 

"  The  lady  smiled  a  flickering  smile, 
And  she  pressed  her  temples  hard  the  while  : 

"  '  Thou  seest  that  Death  for  a  woman  can 
Do  more  than  knighthood  for  a  man.' 

"  '  But  show  me  the  child  thou  callest  mine. 
Is  she  out  to-night  in  the  ghost's  sunshine  ?  * 

"  '  In  St.  Peter's  Church  she  is  playing  on, 
At  hide-and-seek,  with  Apostle  John. 

"  '  When  the  moonbeams  right  through  the  window  go, 
Where  the  twelve  are  standing  in  glorious  show, 

"  '  She  says  the  rest  of  them  do  not  stir, 
But  one  comes  down  to  play  with  her. 

"  '  Then  I  can  go  where  I  list,  and  weep. 
For  good  St.  John  my  child  will  keep.' 

"  '  Thy  beauty  filleth  the  very  air. 
Never  saw  I  a  woman  so  fair.' 

"  '  Come,  if  thou  darest,  and  sit  by  my  side; 
But  do  not  touch  me,  or  woe  will  betide. 

"  '  Alas  !  I  am  weak :  I  well  might  know 
This  gladness  betokens  some  further  woe. 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  205 

"  '  Yet  come.     It  will  come.     I  will  bear  it.     I  can. 
For  thou  lovest  me  yet—  though  but  as  a  man.' 

•'  The  knight  dismounted  in  earnest  speed ; 
Away  through  the  tombstones  thundered  the  steed, 

"  And  fell  by  the  outer  wall,  and  died. 
But  the  knight  he  kneeled  by  the  lady's  side ; 

"  Kneeled  beside  her  in  wondrous  bliss, 
Eapt  in  an  everlasting  kiss  : 

"  Though  never  Ms  lips  come  the  lady  nigh. 
And  his  eyes  alone  on  her  beauty  lie. 

"  All  the  night  long,  till  the  cock  crew  loud, 
He  kneeled  by  the  lady,  lapt  in  her  shroud. 

"  Arid  what  they  said,  I  may  not  say : 
Dead  night  was  sweeter  than  living  day. 

"  How  she  made  him  so  blissful  glad 
Who  made  her  and  found  her  so  ghostly  sad, 

"  I  may  not  tell ;  but  it  needs  no  touch 
To  make  them  blessed  who  love  so  much. 

"  '  Come  every  night,  my  ghost,  to  me  ; 
And  one  night  I  will  come  to  thee. 

"  '  'Tis  good  to  have  a  ghostly  wife  : 
She  will  not  tremble  at  clang  of  strife ; 

"  *  She  will  only  hearken,  amid  the  din, 
Behind  the  door,  if  he  cometh  in.' 


206  PHANTASTES : 

"  And  this  is  how  Sir  Aglovaile 
Often  walked  in  the  moonlight  pale. 

"  And  oft  when  the  crescent  but  thinned  the  gloom, 
•  rull-orb6d  moonlight  filled  his  room ; 

"  And  through  beneath  his  chamber  door, 
Fell  a  ghostly  gleam  on  the  outer  floor ; 

"  And  they  that  passed,  in  fear  averred 
That  murmured  words  they  often  heard. 

"  'Twas  then  that  the  eastern  crescent  shone 
'  Through  the  chancel  window,  and  good  St.  John 

"  Played  with  the  ghost-child  all  the  night, 
And  the  mother  was  free  till  the  morning  light, 

"  And  sped  through  the  dawning  night,  to  stay 
With  Aglovaile  till  the  break  of  day. 

"  And  their  love  was  a  rapture,  lone  and  high. 
And  dumb  as  the  moon  in  the  topmost  sky. 

"  One  night  Sir  Aglovaile,  weary,  slept, 
And  dreamed  a  dream  wherein  he  wept. 

"A  warrior  he  was,  not  often  wept  he, 
But  this  night  he  wept  full  bitterly. 

"  He  woke  —  beside  him  the  ghost-girl  shone 
Out  of  the  dark :  'twas  the  eve  of  St.  John. 

"  He  had  dreamed  a  dream  of  a  still,  dark  wood. 
Where  the  maiden  of  old  beside  him  stood ; 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  207 

"  But  a  mist  came  down,  and  caught  her  away, 
And  he  sought  her  in  vain  through  the  pathless  day, 

"  Till  he  wept  with  the  grief  that  can  do  no  more, 
And  thought  he  had  dreamt  the  dream  before. 

"  From  bursting  heart  the  weeping  flowed  on; 
And  lo !  beside  him  the  ghost-girl  shone ; 

"  Shone  like  the  light  on  a  harbor's  breast. 
Over  the  sea  of  his  dream's  unrest ; 

"  Shone  like  the  wondrous,  nameless  boon. 
That  the  heart  seeks  ever,  night  or  noon : 

"  "Warnings  forgotten,  when  needed  most. 
He  clasped  to  his  bosom  the  radiant  ghost. 

"  She  wailed  aloud,  and  faded,  and  sank. 
With  upturned  white  face,  cold  and  blank, 

*'  In  his  arms  lay  the  corpse  of  the  maiden  pale, 
And  she  came  no  more  to  Sir  Aglovaile. 

"  Only  a  voice,  when  winds  were  wild. 
Sobbed  and  wailed  like  a  chidden  child :  — 

"  '  Alas,  how  easily  things  go  wrong  ! 
A  sigh  too  much,  or  a  hiss  too  long. 
And  there  follows  a  mist  and  a  weeping  rain, 
And  life  is  never  the  same  again'  " 

This  was  one  of  the  simplest  of  her  songs,  which,  per- 
haps, is  the  cause  of  my  being  able  to  remember  it  better    ^ 
than  most  of  the  others. 


208  PHANTASTES : 

While  she  sung,  I  was  in  Elysium,  with  the  sense  of  a 
rich  soul  upholding,  embracing,  and  overhanging  mine,  full 
of  all  plenty  and  bounty.  I  felt  as  if  she  could  give  me 
everything  I  wanted ;  as  if  I  should  never  wish  to  leave 
her.  but  would  be  content  to  be  sung  to  and  fed  by  her,  day 
after  day,  as  years  rolled  by.  At  last  I  fell  asleep  while 
she  sang. 

When  I  ^woke,  I  knew  not  whether  it  was  night  or  day. 
The  fire  had  sunk  to  a  few  red  embers,  which  just  gave 
light  enough  to  show  me  the  woman  standing  a  few  feet 
from  me,  with  her  back  towards^  me,  facing  the  door  by 
which  I  had  entered.  She  was  weeping,  but  very  gently 
and  plentifully.  The  tears  seemed  to  come  freely  from  her 
heart.  Thus  she  stood  for  a  few  minutes ;  then,  slowly 
turning  at  right  angles  to  her  former  position,  she  faced 
another  of  the  four  sides  of  the  cottage.  I*  now  observed, 
for  the  first  time,  that  here  was  a  door  likewise  ;  and  that, 
indeed,  there  was  one  in  the  centre  of  every  side  of  the 
cottage.  When  she  looked  towards  this  second  door,  her 
tears  ceased  to  flow,  but  sighs  took  their  place.  She  often 
closed  her  eyes  as  she  stood;  and  every  time  she  closed 
her  eyes  a  gentle  sigh  seemed  to  be  born  in  her  heart  and 
to  escape  at  her  lips.  But  when  her  eyes  were  open,  her 
sighs  were  deep  and  very  sad,  and  shook  her  whole  frame. 
Then  she  turned  towards  the  third  door,  and  a  cry  as  of 
fear  or  suppressed  pain  broke  from  her  ;  but  she  seemed  to 
hearten  herself  against  the  dismay,  and  to  front  it  steadily ; 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  209 

for,  although  I  often  heard  a  slight  cry  and  sometimes  a 
moan,  yet  she  never  moved  or  bent  her  head,  and  I  felt 
sure  that  her  eyes  never  closed.  Then  she  turned  to  the 
fourth  door,  and  I  saw  her  shudder,  and  then  stand  still  as 
a  statue,  till  at  last  she  turned  towards  me  and  approached 
the  fire.  I  saw  that  her  face  was  white  as  death.  But  she 
gave  one  look  upwards,  and  smiled  the  sweetest,  most 
child-innocent  smile;  then  heaped  fresh  wood  on  the  fire, 
and,  sitting  down  by  the  blaze,  drew  her  wheel  near  her, 
and  began  to  spin.  While  she  spun,  she  murmured  a  low, 
strange  song,  to  which  the  hum  of  the  wheel  made  a  kind 
of  infinite  symphony.  At  length  she  paused  in  her  spin- 
ning and  singing,  and  glanced  towards  me,  like  a  mother 
who  looks  whether  or  not  her  child  gives  signs  of  waking. 
She  smiled  when  she  saw  that  my  eyes  were  open.  I 
asked  her  whether  it  was  day  yet.  She  answered,  "It  is 
always  day  here,  so  long  as  I  keep  my  fire  burning." 

I  felt  wonderfully  refreshed ;  and  a  great  desire  to  see 
more  of  the  island  awoke  within  me.  I  rose,  and,  saying 
that  I  wished  to  look  about  me,  went  towards  the  door  by 
which  I  had  entered. 

"Stay  a  moment,"  said  my  hostess,  with  some  trepi- 
dation in  her  voice.  "  Listen  to  me.  You  will  not  see 
what  you  expect  when  you  go  out  of  that  door.  Only 
remember  this :  whenever  you  wish  to  come  back  to  me, 
enter  wherever  you  see  this  mark." 

She  held  up  her  left  hand  between  me  and  the  fire. 
U 


210  PHANTASIES : 

Upon  the  palm,  which  appeared  almost  transparent,  I  saw, 

in  dark  red,  a  mark  like  this  V. ,  which  I  took  care 

to  fix  in  mj  mind,  ^""^ 

She  then  kissed  me,  and  bade  me  good-by  with  a  so- 
lemnity that  awed  me,  and  bewildered  me  too,  seeing  I  was 
only  going  out  for  a  little  ramble  in  an  island  which  I  did 
not  believe  larger  than  could  easily  be  compassed  in  a  few 
hours'  walk  at  most.     As  I  went  she  resumed  her  spinning. 

I  opened  the  door,  and  stepped  out.  The  moment  my 
foot  touched  the  smooth  sward  I  seemed  to  'issue  from 
the  door  of  an  old  barn  on  my  father's  estate,  where,  in 
the  hot  afternoons,  I  used  to  go  and  lie  amongst  the  straw, 
and  read.  It  seemed  to  me  now  that  I  had  been  asleep 
there.  At  a  little  distance  in  the  field  I  saw  two  of  my 
brothers  at  play.  The  moment  they  caught  sight  of  me 
they  called  out  to  me  to  come  and  join  them,  which  I  did ; 
and  we  played  together  as  we  had  done  years  ago,  till  the 
red  sun  went  down  in  the  west,  and  the  gray  fog  began  to 
rise  from  the  river.  Then  we  went  home  together  with  a 
strange  happiness.  As  we  went,  we  heard  the  continually 
renewed  larum  of  a  landrail  in  the  long  grass.  One  of  my 
brothers  and  I  separated  to  a  little  distance,  and  each  com- 
menced running  towards  the  part  whence  the  sound 
appeared  to  come,  in  the  hope  of  approaching  >  the  spot 
where  the  bird  was,  and  so  getting  at  least  a  sight  of  it, 
if  we  should  not  be  aible  to  capture  the  little  creature.  My 
father's  voice  recalled  us  from  trampling  down  the  rich. 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  213 

<» 

long  grass,  soon  to  be  cut  down  and  laid  aside  for  winter. 
I  had  quite  forgotten  all  about  Fairy-land,  and  the  wonder- 
ful old  woman,  and  the  curious  red  mark. 

My  favorite  brother  and  I  shared  the  same  bed.  Some 
childish  dispute  arose  between  us,  and  our  last  words,  ere 
we  fell  asleep,  were  not  of  kindness,  notwithstanding  the 
pleasures  of  the  day.  When  I  woke  in  the  morning  I 
missed  him.  He  had  risen  early,  and  had  gone  ^o  bathe  in 
the  river.  In  another  hour  he  was  brought  home  drowned. 
Alas  !  alas  !  if  we  had  only  gone  to  sleep  as  usual,  the  one 
with  his  arm  about  the  other !  Amidst  the  horror  of  the 
moment  a  strange  conviction  flashed  across  my  mind,  that 
I  had  gone  through  the  very  same  once  before. 

I  rushed  out  of  the  house,  I  knew  not  why,  sobbing  and 
crying  bitterly.  I  ran  through  the  fields  in  aimless  dis- 
tress, till,  passing  the  old  barn,  I  caught  sight  of  a  red 
mark  on  the  door.  The  merest  trifles  sometimes  rivet  the 
attention  in  the  deepest  misery ;  the  intellect  has  so  little 
to  do  with  grief  I  went  up  to  look  at  this  mark,  which  I 
did  not  remember  ever  to  have  seen  before.  As  I  looked 
at  it,  I  thought  I  would  go  in  and  lie  down  amongst  the 
straw,  for  I  was  very  weary  with  running  about  and  weep- 
ing. I  opened  the  door,  and  there  in  the  cottage  sat  the 
old  woman  as  I  had  left  her,  at  her  spinning-wheel. 

"I  did  not  expect  you  quite  so  soon,"  she  said,  as  I 
shut  the  door  behind  me.     I  went  up  to  the  couch,  and 


PHANTASTES: 
« 

threw  myself  on  it  with  that  fatigue  wherewith  one  awakes 
from  a  feverish  dream  of  hopeless  grief. 
The  old  woman  sang  : — 

"  The  great  sun,  benighted, 
May  faint  from  the  sky ; 
But  love,  once  uplighted, 
Will  never  more  die. 

"  Form,  with  its  brightness, 
Prom  eyes  will  depart : 
It  walketh,  in  whiteness, 
The  halls  of  the  heart." 

Ere  she  had  ceased  singing,  my  courage  had  returned. 
I  started  from  the  couch,  and,  without  taking  leave  of  the 
old  woman,  opened  the  door  of  Sighs,  and  sprang  into  what 
should  appear. 

I  stood  in  a  lordly  hall,  where,  by  a  blazing  fire  on  the 
hearth,  sat  a  lady,  waiting,  I  knew,  for  some  one  long 
desired.  A  mirror  was  near  me ;  but  I  saw  that  my  form 
had  no  place  within  its  depths,  so  I  feaTed  not  that  I  should 
be  seen.  The  lady  wonderfully  resembled  my  marble  lady, 
but  was  altogether  of  the  daughters  of  men,  and  I  could  not 
tell  whether  or  not  it  was  she.  It  was  not  for  me  she 
waited.  The  tramp  of  a  great  horse  rang  through  the  court 
without.  It  ceased,  and  the  clang  of  armor  told  that  his 
rider  alighted,  and  the  sound  of 'his  ringing  heels  approached 
the  hall.  The  door  opened ;  but  the  lady  waited,  for  she 
would  meet  her  lord  alone.     He  strode  in  ;  she  flew  like  a 


A    FAERIE   ROMANCE.  213 

home-bound  dove  into  his  arms,  and  nestled  on  the  hard 
steel.  It  was  the  knight  of  the  soiled  armor.  But  now 
the  armor  shone  like  polished  glass,  and,  strange  to  tell, 
though  the  mirror  reflected  not  mj  form,  I  saw  a  dim  shadow 
of  myself  in  the  shining  steel. 

"  0  my  beloved,  thou  art  come,  and  I  am  blessed! " 
Her  soft  fingers  speedily  overcame  the  hard  clasp  of  his 
helmet ;  one  by  one  she  undid  the  buckles  of  his  armor ; 
and  she  toiled  under  the  weight  of  the  mail,  as  she  ivould 
carry  it  aside.  Then  she  unclasped  his  greaves,  and' un- 
buckled his  spurs ;  and  once  more  she  sprang  into  his  arms, 
and  laid  her  head  where  she  could  now  feel  the  beating  of 
his  heart.  Then  she  disengaged  herself  from  his  embrace, 
and,  moving  back  a  step  or  two,  gazed  at  him.  He  stood 
there  a  mighty  form,  crowned  with  a  noble  head,  where  all 
sadness  had  disappeared,  or  had  been  absorbed  in  solemn 
purpose.  Yet  I  suppose  that  he  looked  more  thoughtful 
than  the  lady  had  expected  to  see  him,  for  she  did  not  renew 
her  caresses,  although  his  face  glowed  with  love,  and  the  few 
words  he  spoke  were  as  mighty  deeds  for  strength ;  but  she 
led  him  towards  the  hearth,  and  seated  him  in  an  ancient 
chair,  and  set  wine  before  him,  and  sat  at  his  feet. 

"  I  am  sad,"  he  said,  when  I  think  of  the  youth  whom  I 
met  twice  in  the  forests  of  Fairy-land,  and  who,  you  say, 
twice,  with  his  songs,  roused  you  from  the  death-sleep  of 
an  evil  enchantment.     There  was  something  noble  in  him, 


214  PHANTASIES : 

but  it  was  a  nobleness  of  thought,  and  not  of  deed.     He 
may  yet  perish  of  vile  fear." 

"Ah!"  returned  the  lady,  "you  saved  him  once,  and 
for  that  I  thank  you ;  for  may  I  not  say  that  I  somewhat 
loved  him  ?  But  tell  me  how  you  fared,  when  you  struck 
your  battle-axe  into  the  ash-tree,  and  he  came  and  found 
you ;  for  so  much  of  the  story  you  had  told  me,  when  the 
beggar-child  came  and  took  you  away." 

"  As  soon  as  I  saw  him,"  rejoined  the  knight,  "I  knew 
that  earthly  arms  availed  not  against  such  as  he,  and  that 
my  soul  must  meet  him  in  its  naked  strength.  So  I  un- 
clasped my  helm,  and  flung  it  on  the  ground,  and,  holding 
my  good  axe  yet  in  my  hand,  gazed  at  him  with  steady  eyes. 
On  he  came,  a  horror  indeed ;  but  I  did  not  flinch.  En- 
durance must  conquer,  where  force  could  not  reach.  He  came 
nearer  and  nearer,  till  the  ghastly  face  was  close  to  mine. 
A  shudder  as  of  death  ran  through  me  ;  but  I  think  I  did 
not  move,  for  he  seemed  to  quail,  and  retrfeated.  As  soon 
as  he  gave  back,  I  struck  one  more  sturdy  blow  on  the  stem 
of  his  tree,  that  the  forest  rang;  and  then  looked  at  him 
again.  He  writhed  and  grinned  with  rage  and  apparent 
pain,  and  again  approached  me,  but  retreated  sooner  than 
before.  I  heeded  him  no  more,  but  hewed  with  a  will  at 
the  tree,  till  the  trunk  creaked,  and  the  head  bowed,  and 
with  a  crash  it  fell  to  the  earth.  Then  I  looked  up  from 
my  labor,  and,  lo !  the  spectre  had  vanished,  and  I  saw  him 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  2l5 

no  more ;  nor  ever  in  my  wanderings  have  I  heard  of  him 
again." 

"  Well  struck !  well  withstood !  my  hero,"  said  the 
lady. 

"  But,"  said  the  knight,  somewhat  troubled,  "dost  thou 
love  the  youth  still  ?  " 

"Ah!"  she  replied,  "how  can  I  help  it?  He  woke 
me  from  worse  than  death  ;  he  loved  me.  I  had  never  been 
for  thee,  if  he  had  not  sought  me  first.  But  I  love  him 
not  as  I  love  thee.  He  was  but  the  moon  of  my  night ; 
thou  art  the  sun  of  my  day,  0  beloved !  " 

"Thou  art  right,"  returned  the  noble  man.  "  It  were 
hard,  indeed,  not  to  have  some  love  in  return  for  such  a 
gift  as  he  hath  given  thee.  I,  too,  owe  him  more  than 
words  can  speak." 

Humbled  before  them,  with  an  aching  and  desolate 
heart,  I  yet  could  not  restrain  my  words  :  — 

"  Let  me,  then,  be  the  moon  of  thy  night  still,  0  woman  ! 
And  when  thy  day  is  beclouded,  as  the  fairest  days  will  be, 
let  some  song  of  mine  comfort  thee,  as  an  old,  withered, 
half-forgotten  thing,  that  belongs  to  an  ancient  mournful 
hour  of  uncompleted  birth,  which  yet  was  beautiful  in  its 
timoi" 

They  sat  silent,  and  I  almost  thought  they  were  listen- 
ing. The  color  of  the  lady's  eyes  grew  deeper  and  deeper ; 
the  slow  tears  grew,  and  filled  them,  and  overflowed. 
They  rose,  and  passed,  hand  in  hand,  close  to  where  I 


216  PHANTASTES : 

Stood,  and  each  looked  towards  me  in  passing.  Then 
they  disappeared  through  a  door,  which  closed  behind  them  ; 
but,  ere  it  closed,  I  saw  that  the  room  into  which  it  opened 
was  a  rich  chamber,  hung  with  gorgeous  arras.  I  stood 
with  an  ocean  of  sighs  frozen  in  my  bosom.  I  could  re- 
main no  longer.  She  was  near  me,  and  I  could  not  see 
her ;  near  me  in  the  arms  of  one  loved  better  than  I,  and 
I  would  not  see  her,  and  I  would  not  be  by  her.  But  how 
to  escape  from  the  nearness  of  the  best  beloved  ?  I  had 
not  this  time  forgotten  the  mark  ;  for  the  fact  that  I  could 
not  enter  the  sphere  of  these  living  beings  kept  me  aware 
that,  for  me,  I  moved  in  a  vision,  while  they  moved  in  life. 
I  looked  all  a!)out  for  the  mark,  but  could  see  it  nowhere  ; 
for  I  avoided  looking  just  where  it  was.  There  the  dull 
red  cipher  glowed,  on  the  very  door  of  their  secret  cham- 
ber. Struck  with  agony,  I  dashed  it  open,  and  fell  at  the 
feet  of  the  ancient  woman,  who  still  spun  on,  the  whole 
dissolved  ocean  of  my  sighs  bursting  from  me  in  a  storm  of 
tearless  sobs.  Whether  I  fainted  or  slept,  I  do  not  know  ; 
but  as  I  returned  to  consciousness,  before  I  seemed  to  have 
power  to  move,  I  heard  the  woman  singing,  and  could  dis- 
tinguish the  words :  — 

* '  0  light  of  dead  and  of  dying  days ! 

O  Love !  in  thy  glory  go, 
In  a  rosy  mist  and  a  moony  maze, 

O'er  the  pathless  peaks  of  snow. 
13 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  217 

"But  what  is  left  for  the  cold  gray  soul, 
That  moans  like  a  wounded  dove  ? 
One  wine  is  left  in  the  broken  bowl  — 
'Tis  —  To  love,  and  love,  and  love." 

Now  I  could  weep.  When  she  saw  me  weeping,  she 
sang :  — 

"  Better  to  sit  at  the  waters'  birth, 
Than  a  sea  of  waves  to  win ; 
To  live  in  the  love  that  floweth  forth, 
Than  the  love  that  cometh  in. 

"  Be  thy  heart  a  well  of  love,  my  child. 
Flowing,  and  free,  and  sure ; 
For  a  cistern  of  love,  though  undefiled, 
Keeps  not  the  spirit  pure." 

I  rose  from  the  earth,  loving  the  white  lady  as  I  had 
never  loved  her  before. 

Then  I  walked  up  to  the  door  of  Dismay,  and  opened  it 
and  went  out.  And  lo  !  I  came  forth  upon  a  crowded 
street,  where  men  and  women  went  to  and  fro  in  multitudes. 
I  knew  it  well,  and,  turning  to  one  hand,  walked  sadly 
along  the  pavement.  Suddenly  I  saw  approaching  me,  a 
little  way  off,  a  form  well  known  to  me  (well-known !  — 
alas,  how  weak  the  word !)  in  the  years  when  I  thought  my 
boyhood  was  left  behind,  and  shortly  before  I  entered  the 
realm  of  Fairy-land.  Wrong  and  Sorrow  had  gone  to- 
gether, hand  in  hand,  as  it  is  well  they  do.     Unchangeably 


218  PHANTASTES : 

dear  was  that  face.     It  lay  in  mj  heart  as  a  child  lies  in 
its  own  white  bed ;  but  I  could  not  meet  her. 

"  Anything  but  that,"  I  said,  and,  turning  aside,  sprang 
up  the  steps  to  a  door  on  which  I  fancied  I  saw  the  mystic 
sign.  I  entered  —  not  the  mysterious  cottage,  but  her  home. 
I  rushed  wildly  on  and  stood  by  the  door  of  her  room. 
"She  is  out. ' '  I  said.  ' '  I  will  see  the  old  room  once  more. ' ' 
I  opened  the  door  gently,  and  stood  in  a  great,  solemn 
church.  A  deep-toned  bell,  whose  sounds  throbbed  and 
echoed  and  swam  through  the  empty  building,  struck  the 
hour  of  midnight.  The  moon  shone  through  the  win- 
dows of  the  clerestory,  and  enough  of  the  ghostly  radi- 
ance was  diffused  through  the  church  to  let  me  see, 
walking  with  a  stately  yet  somewhat  trailing  and  stum- 
bling step  down  the  opposite  aisle,  —  for  I  stood  in  one 
of  the  transepts,  —  a  figure  dressed  in  a  white  robe, 
whether  for  the  night,  or  for  that  longer  night  which 
lies  too  deep  for  the  day,  I  could  not  tell.  Was  it 
she  ?  and  was  this  her  chamber  ?  I  crossed  the  chu^h 
and  followed.  The  figure  stopped,  seemed  to  ascend  as  it 
were  a  high  bed,  and  lay  down.  I  reached  the  place  where 
it  lay,  glimmering  white.  The  bed  was  a  tomb.  The  light 
was  too  ghostly  to  see  clearly,  but  I  passed  my  hand  over 
the  face  and  the  hands  and  the  feet,  which  were  all  bare. 
They  were  cold  —  they  were  marble ;  but  I  knew  them.  It 
grew  dark.  I  turned  to  retrace  my  steps,  but  found  ere 
long  that  I  had  wandered  into  what  seemed  a  little  chapel. 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  219 

I  groped  about,  seeking  the  *door.  Everything  I  touched 
belonged  to  the  dead.  My  hands  fell  on  the  cold  effigy  of  a 
knight,  who  lay  with  his  legs  crossed  and  his  sword  broken 
beside  him.  He  lay  in  his  noble  rest,  and  I  lived  on  in 
ignoble  strife.  I  felt  for  the  left  hand  and  a  certain  finger. 
I  found  there  the  ring  I  knew  :  he  was  one  of  my  own  an- 
cestors. I  was  in  the  chapel  over  the  burial-vault  of  my 
race.  I  called  aloud,  ' '  If  any  of  the  dead  are  moving 
here,  let  them  take  pity  upon  me,  for  I,  alas  !  am  still  alive ; 
and  let  some  dead  woman  comfort  me,  for  I  am  a  stranger 
in  the  land  of  the  dead,  and  see  no  light."  A  warm 
kiss  alighted  on  my  lips  through  the  dark.  And  I  said, 
"  The  dead  kiss  well ;  I  will  not  be  afraid."  And  a  great 
hand  was  reached  out  of  the  dark  and  grasped  mine  for  a 
moment,  mightily  and  tenderly.  I  said  to  myself,  "  The 
veil  between,  though  very  dark,  is  very  thin." 

Groping  my  way  further,  I  stumbled  over  the  heavy 
stone  that  covered  the  entrance  of  the  vault,  and,  in  stum- 
bling, descried  upon  the  stone  the  mark,  glowing  in  red  fire. 
I  caught  the  great  ring.  All  my  effort  could  not  have 
moved  the  huge  slab  ;  but  it  opened  the  door  of  the  cottage, 
and  I  threw  myself  once  more,  pale  and  speechless,  on  the 
couch  beside  the  ancient  dame.     She  sang  once  more  :  — 

"  Thou  dreamest :  on  a  rock  thou  art, 
High  o'er  the  broken  wave ; 
Thou  fallest  with  .a  fearful  start, 
But  not  into  thy  grave  ; 


220  PHANTASIES : 

Por,  waking  in  the  iflorning's  light, 
Thou  smilest  at  the  vanished  night. 

"  So  wilt  thou  sink,  all  pale  and  dumb, 

Into  the  fainting  gloom ; 
But,  ere  the  coming  terrors  come, 

Thou  wak'st  —  where  is  the  tomb  ? 
Thou  wak'st  —  the  dead  ones  smile  above, 
With  hovering  arms  of  sleepless  love." 

She  paused ;  then  sang  again  :  — 

"  We  weep  for  gladness,  weep  for  grief; 
The  tears  they  are  the  same ; 
We  sigh  for  longing,  and  relief; 
The  sighs  have  but  one  name. 

"  And  mingled  in  the  dying  strife 
Are  moans  that  are  not  sad ; 
The  pangs  of  death  are  throbs  of  life. 
Its  sighs  are  sometimes  glad. 

*'  The  face  is  very  strange  and  white : 
It  is  Earth's  only  spot 
That  feebly  flickers  back  the  light 
The  living  seeth  not." 

I  fell  asleep,  and  slept  a  dreamless  sleep  for  I  know  not 
how  long.  When  I  awoke  I  found  that  my  hostess  had 
moved  from  where  she  had  been  sitting,  and  now  sat  be- 
tween me  and  the  fourth  door.  I  guessed  that  her  design 
was  to  prevent  my  entering  there.     I  sprang   from   the 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  221 

couch,  and  darted  past  her  to  the  door.  I  opened  it  at 
once  and  went  out.  All  I  remember  is  a  cry  of  distress 
from  the  woman:  "Don't  go  there,  mj  child  !  Don't  go 
there  !  "     But  I  was  gone. 

I  knew  nothing  more ;  or  if  I  did,  I  had  forgot  it  all 
when  I  awoke  to  consciousness,  lying  on  the  floor  of  the 
cottage,  with  my  head  in  the  lap  of  the  woman,  who  was 
weeping  over  me  and  stroking  my  hair  with  both  hands, 
talking  to  me  as  a  mother  might  talk  to  a  sick  and  sleep- 
ing or  a  dead  child.  As  soon  as  I  looked  up  and  saw  her, 
she  smiled  through  her  tears ;  smiled  with  withered  face 
and  young  eyes,  till  her  countenance  was  irradiated  with 
the  light  of  the  smile.  Then  she  bathed  my  head  and  face 
and  hands  in  an  icy  cold,  colorless  liquid,  which  smelt  a 
little  of  damp  earth.  Immediately  I  was  able  to  sit  up. 
She  rose  and  put  some  food  before  me.  When  I  had 
eaten,  she  said  :  — 

"  Listen  to  me,  my  child.  You  must  leave  me  di- 
rectly !  " 

"  Leave  you  !  "  I  said.  "  I  am  so  happy  with  you.  I 
never  was  so  happy  in  my  life." 

"But  you  must  go,"  she  rejoined,  sadly.  "Listen! 
What  do  you  hear?  " 

"I  hear  the  sound  as  of  a  great  throbbing  of  water." 

"Ah!  you  do  hear  it?  Well.  I  had  to  go  through  that 
door  —  the  door  of  the  Timeless"  (and  she  shuddered  as 
•she  pointed  to  the  fourth  door)  —  "to  find  you;   for  if  I 


222  PHANTASIES : 

had  not  gone  you  would  never  have  entered  again  ;  and  be- 
cause I  went,  the  waters  around  mj  cottage  will  rise  and 
rise,  and  flow  and  come,  till  they  build  a  great  firmament 
of  waters  over  my  dwelling.  But  as  long  as  I  keep  my 
fire  burning,  they  cannot  enter.  I  have  fuel  enough  for 
years;  and  after  one  year  they  will  sink  away  again,  and 
be  just  as  they  were  before  you  came.  I  have  not  been 
buried  for  a  hundred  years  now."  And  she  smiled  and 
wept. 

"  Alas  !  alas  !  "  I  cried.  "  I  have  brought  this  evil  on 
the  best  and  kindest  of  friends,  who  has  filled  my  heart  with 
great  gifts." 

"  Do  not  think  of  that,"  she  rejoined.  "  I  can  bear  it 
very  well.  You  will  come  back  to  me  some  day,  I  know. 
But  I  beg  you,  for  my  sake,  my  dear  child,  to  do  one 
thing.  In  whatever  sorrow  you  may  be,  however  incon- 
solable and  irremediable  it  may  appear,  believe  me,  that 
the  old  woman  in  the  cottage,  with  the  young  eyes"  (and 
she  smiled),  "knows  something,  though  she  must  not 
always  tell  it,  that  would  quite  satisfy  you  about  it,  even 
in  the  worst  moments  of  your  distress.  Now  you  must 
go." 

"  But  how  can  I  go,  if  the  waters  are  all  about,  and  if 
the  doors  all  lead  into  other  regions  and  other  worlds?  " 

"  This  is  not  an  island,"  she  replied  ;  "but  is  joined  to 
the  land  by  a  narrow  neck ;  and  for  the  door,  I  will  lead 
you  myself  through  the  right  one." 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  223 

She  took  my  hand,  and  led  me  through  the  third  door ; 
■whereupon  I  found  myself  standing  in  the  deep,  grassy  turf 
on  which  I  had  landed  from  the  little  boat,  but  upon  the 
opposite  side  of  the  cottage.  She  pointed  out  the  direction 
I  must  take  to  find  the  isthmus  and  escape  the  rising 
waters. 

Then,  putting  her  arms  around  me,  she  held  me  to  her 
bosom ;  and,  as  I  kissed  her,  I  felt  as  if  I  were  leaving  my 
mother  for  the  first  time,  and  could  not  help  weeping  bit- 
terly. At  length  she  gently  pushed  me  away,  and  with 
the  words,  "  Go,  my  son,  and  do  something  worth  doing," 
turned  back,  and,  entering  the  cottage,  closed  the  door  be- 
hind her. 

I  felt  very  desolate  as  I  went. 


224  PHANTASIES ; 


XX. 

Thou  hadst  no  fame ;  that  which  thou  didst  like  good 
Was  but  thy  appetite  that  swayed  thy  blood 
For  that  time  to  the  best ;  for  as  a  blast 
That  through  a  house  comes,  usually  doth  cast 
Things  out  of  order,  yet  by  chance  may  come 
And  blow  some  one  thing  to  his  proper  room, 
So  did  thy  appetite,  and  not  thy  zeal, 
Sway  thee  by  chance  to  do  some  one  thing  well. 

Fletcher's  Faithful  Shepherdess. 


The  noble  hart  that  harbours  vertuous  thought, 
And  is  with  cliilde  of  glorious  great  intent. 
Can  never  rest,  untill  it  forth  hare  brought 
Th'  eternall  brood  of^glorie  excellent. 

Spenser. —  The  Faerie  Queene. 

I  HAD  not  gone  very  far  before  I  felt  that  the  turf  be- 
neath my  feet  was  soaked  with  the  rising  waters.  But  I 
reached  the  isthmus  in  safety.  It  was  rocky,  and  so  much 
higher  than  the  level  of  the  peninsula  that  I  had  plenty 
of  time  to  cross.  I  saw  on  each  side  of  me  the  water  rising 
rapidly,  altogether  without  wind,  or  violent  motion,  or 
broken  waves,  but  as  if  a  slow,  strong  fire  were  glowing 
beneath  it.  Ascending  a  steep  acclivity,  I  found  myself  at 
last  in  an  open,  rocky  country.     After  travelling  for  some 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  225 

hours,  as  nearly  in  a  straight  line  as  I  could.  I  arrived  at  a 
lonely  tower,  built  on  the  top  of  a  little  hill,  which  over- 
looked the  whole  neighboring  country.  As  I  approached, 
I  heard  the  clang  of  an  anvil ;  and  so  rapid  were  the  blows 
that  I  despaired  of  making  myself  heard  till  a  pause  in  the 
work  should  ensue.  It  was  some  minutes  before  a  cessa- 
tion took  place ;  but  when  it  did,  I  knocked  loudly,  and 
had  not  long  to  wait;  for,  a  moment  after,  the  door  was 
partly  opened  by  a  noble-looking  youth,  half-undressed, 
glowing  with  heat,  and  begrimed  with  the  blackness  of  the 
forge.  In  one  hand  he  held  a  sword,  so  lately  from  the 
furnace  that  it  yet  shone  with  a  dull  fire.  As  soon  as  he 
saw  me,  he  threw  the  door  wide  open,  and,  standing  aside, 
invited  me  very  cordially  to  enter.  I  did  so ;  when  he 
shut  and  bolted  the  door  most  carefully,  and  then  led  the 
way  inwards.  He  brought  me  into  a  rude  hall,  which 
seemed  to  occupy  almost  the  whole  of  the  ground  floor  of 
the  little  tower,  and  which  I  saw  was  now  being  used  as  a 
workshop.  A  huge  fire  roared  on  the  hearth,  beside 
which  was  an  anvil.  By  the  anvil  stood,  in  similar  un- 
dress, and  in  a  waiting  attitude,  hammer  in  hand,  a  second 
youth,  tall  as  the  former,  but  far  more  slightly  built.  Re- 
versing the  usual  course  of  perception  in  such  meetings,  I 
thought  them,  at  first  sight,  very  unlike  ;  and,  at  the  sec- 
ond glance,  knew  that  they  were  brothers.  The  former, 
and  apparently  the  elder,  was  muscular  and  dark,  with 
curling  hair,  and  large  hazel  eyes,  which  sometimes  grew 


226  PHANTASIES : 

wondrously  soft.  The  second  was  slender  and  fair,  yet 
with  a  countenance  like  an  eagle,  and  an  eye  which,  though 
pale  blue,  shone  with  an  almost  fierce  expression.  He 
stood  erect,  as  if  looking  from  a  lofty  mountain  crag  over 
a  vast  plain  outstretched  below.  As  soon  as  we  entered 
the  hall,  the  elder  turned  to  me,  and  I  saw  that  a  glow  of 
satisfaction  shone  on  both  their  faces.  To  my  surprise  and 
great  pleasure,  he  addressed  me  thus  :  — 

''  Brother,  will  you  sit  by  the  fire  and  rest,  till  we  finish 
this  part  of  our  work  ?  " 

I  signified  my  assent,  and,  resolved  to  await  any  dis- 
closure they  might  be  inclined  to  make,  seated  myself  in 
silence  near  the  hearth. 

The  elder  brother  then  laid  the  sword  in  the  fire,  covered 
it  well  over,  and  when  it  had  attained  a  sufficient  degree  of 
heat,  drew  it  out  and  laid  it  on  the  anvil,  moving  it  care- 
fully about,  while  the  younger,  with  a  succession  of  quick, 
smart  blows,  appeared  either  to  be  welding  it,  or  hammer- 
ing one  part  of  it  to  a  consenting  shape  with  the  rest. 
Having  finished,  they  laid  it  carefully  in  the  fire ;  and, 
when  it  was  very  hot  indeed,  plunged  it  into  a  vessel  full 
of  some  liquid,  whence  a  blue  flame  sprang  upwards  as  the 
glowing  steel  entered.  There  they  left  it,  and,  drawing 
two  stools  to  the  fire,  sat  down,  one  on  each  side  of  me. 

"  We  are  very  glad  to  see  you,  brother.  We  have  been 
expecting  you  for  some  days,"  said  the  dark-haired  youth. 

"  I  am  proud  to  be  called  your  brother,"  I  rejoined; 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  227 

"and  you  will  not  think  I  refuse  the  name,  if  I  desire  to 
know  why  you  honor  me  with  it  ?  " 

"Ah!  then  he  does  not  know  about  it,"  said  the 
younger,  "  We  thought  you  had  known  of  the  bond 
betwixt  us,  and  the  work  we  have  to  do  together.  You 
must  tell  him,  brother,  from  the  first." 

So  the  elder  began  :  — 

"  Our  father  is  king  of  this  country.  Before  we  were 
born,  three  giant  brothers  had  appeared  in  the  land.  No 
one  knew  exactly  when,  and  no  one  had  the  least  idea 
whence  they  came.  They  took  possession  of  a  ruined  castle 
that  had  stood  unchanged  and  unoccupied  within  the 
memory  of  any  of  the  country  people.  The  vaults  of  this 
castle  had  r^nained  uninjured  by  time,  and  these,  I  pre- 
sume, they  made  use  of  at  first.  They  were  rarely  seen, 
and  never  ofiered  the  least  injury  to  any  one  ;  so  that  they 
were  regarded  in  the  neighborhood  as  at  least  perfectly 
harmless,  if  not  rather  benevolent,  beings.  But  it  began  to 
be  observed  that  the  old  castle  had  assumed  somehow  or 
other,  no  one  knew  when  or  how,  a  somewhat  difierent  look 
from  what  it  used  to  have.  Not  only  were  several  breaches 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  walls  built  up,  but  actually  some 
of  the  battlements  which  yet  stood,  had  been  repaired,  ap- 
parently to  prevent  them  from  falling  into  worse  decay, 
while  the  more  important  parts  were  being  restored.  Of 
course,  every  one  supposed  the  giants  must  have  a  hand  in 
the  work,  but  no  one  ever  saw  them  engaged  in  it.     The 


228  PHANTASTES  : 

peasants  became  yet  more  uneasy,  after  one,  who  had  con- 
cealed himself,  and  watched  all  night,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  castle,  reported  that  he  had  seen,  in  full  moonlight, 
the  three  huge  giants  working  with  might  and  main,  all 
night  long,  restoring  to  their  former  position  some  massive 
stones,  formerly  steps  of  a  grand  turnpike  stair,  a  great 
portion  of  which  had  long  since  fallen,  along  with  part  of 
the  wall  of  the  round  tower  in  which  it  had  been  built. 
This  wall  they  were  completing,  foot  by  foot,  along  with 
the  stair.  But  the  people  said  they  had  no  just  pretext  for 
interfering ;  although  the  real  reason  for  letting  the  giants 
alone  was,  that  everybody  was  far  too  much  afraid  of  them 
to  interrupt  them. 

"  At  length,  with  the  help  of  a  neighboring  quarry,  the 
whole  of  the  external  wall  of  the  castle  was  finished.  And 
now  the  country  folks  were  in  greater  fear  than  before. 
But  for  several  years  the  giants  remained  very  peaceful. 
The  reason  of  this  was  afterwards  supposed  to  be  the  fact 
that  they  were  distantly  related  to  several  good  people  in 
the  country ;  for,  as  long  as  these  lived,  they  remained 
quiet ;  but  as  soon  as  they  were  all  dead  'the  real  nature 
of  the  giants  broke  out.  Having  completed  the  outside  of 
their  castle,  they  proceeded,  by  spoiling  the  country  houses 
around  them,  to  make  a  quite  luxurious  provision  for  their 
comfort  within.  Affairs  reached  such  a  pass  that  the  news 
of  theft"  robberies  came  to  my  father's  ears ;  but  he,  alas ; 
was  so  crippled  in  his  resources,  by  a  war  he  was  carrying 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  229 

on  with  a  neighboring  prince,  that  be  could  only  spare  a 
very  few  men  to  attempt  the  capture  of  their  stronghold. 
Upon  these  the  giants  issued  in  the  night,  and  slew  every 
man  of  them.  And  now,  grown  bolder  by  success  and 
impunity,  they  no  longer  confined  their  depredations  to 
property,  but  began  to  seize  the  persons  of  their  distin- 
guished neighbors,  knights  and  ladies,  and  hold  them  in 
durance,  the  misery  of  which  was  heightened  by  all  manner 
of  indignity,  until  they  were  redeemed  by  their  friends  at 
an  exorbitant  ransom.  Many  knights  have  adventured 
their  overthrow,  but  to  their  own  instead ;  for  they  have  all 
been  slain,  or  captured,  or  forced  to  make  a  hasty  retreat. 
To  crown  their  enormities,  if  any  man  now  attempts  their 
destruction,  they,  immediately  upon  his  defeat,  put  one  or 
more  of  their  captives  to  a  shameful  death,  on  a  turret  in 
sight  of  all  passers-by ;  so  that  they  have  been  much  less  mo- 
lested of  late ;  and  we,  although  we  have  bunied,  for  years, 
to  attack  these  demons  and  destroy  them,  dared  not,  for  the 
sake  of  their  captives,  risk  the  adventure,  before  we  should 
have  reached  at  least  our  earliest  manhood.  Now,  how- 
ever, we  are  preparing  for  the  attempt ;  and  the  grounds 
of  this  preparation  are  these.  Having  only  the  resolution, 
and  not  the  experience,  necessary  for  the  undertaking,  we 
went  and  consulted  a  lonely  woman  of  wisdom,  who  lives 
not  very  far  from  here,  in  the  direction  of  the  quarter  from 
which  you  have  come.  She  received  us  most  kindly,  and 
gave  us  what  seems  to  us  the  best  of  advice.     She  first 


230  PHANTASIES : 

inquired  what  experience  we  had  had  in  arms.  "We  told  her 
we  had  been  well  exercised  from  our  boyhood,  and  for  some 
years  had  kept  ourselves  in  constant  practice,  with  a  view 
to  this  necessity. 

"  '  But  you  have  not  actually  fought  for  life  and  death  ?  ' 
said  she. 

"  We  were  forced  to  confess  we  had  not. 

"  '  So  much  the  better  in  some  respects,'  she  replied. 
'  Now,  listen  to  me.  Go  first  and  work  with  an  armorer, 
for  as  long  time  as  you  find  needful  to  obtain  a  knowledge 
of  his  craft;  which  will  not  be  long,  seeing  your  hearts 
will  be  all  in  the  work.  Then  go  to  some  lonely  tower, 
you  two  alone.  Receive  no  visits  from  man  or  woman. 
There  forge  for  yourselves  every  piece  of  armor  that  you 
wish  to  wear,  or  to  use  in  your  coming  encounter.  And 
keep  up  your  exercises.  As,  however,  two  of  you  can  be 
no  match  for  the  three  giants,  I  will  find  you,  if  I  can,  a 
third  brother,  who  will  take  on  himself  the  third  share  of 
the  fight  and  the  preparation.  Indeed,  I  have  already 
seen  one,  who  will,  I  think,  be  the  very  man  for  your 
fellowship  ;  but  it  will  be  some  time  before  he  comes  to  me. 
He  is  wandering  now  without  an  aim.  I  will  show  him  to 
you  in  a  glass,  and,  when  he  comes,  you  will  know  him  at 
once.  If  he  will  share  your  endeavors,  you  must  teach 
him  all  you  know,  and  he  will  repay  you  well,  in  present 
song,  and  in  future  deeds.' 

' '  She  opened  the  door  of  a  curious  old  cabinet  that  stood 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  231 

in  the  room.  On  the  inside  of  this  door  was  an  oval  con- 
vex mirror.  Looking  at  it  for  some  time,  we  at  length  saw 
reflected  the  place  where  we  stood,  and  the  old  dame  seated 
in  her  chair.  Our  forms  were  not  reflected.  But  at  the 
feet  of  the  dame,  lay  a  young  man,  yourself,  weeping. 

"  '  Surely  this  youth  will  not  serve  our  ends/  said  I, 
'  for  he  weeps.' 

''The  old  woman  smiled.  'Past  tears  are  present 
strength,'  said  she. 

"  '  Oh  !  '  said  my  brother,  'I  saw  you  weep  once  over 
an  eagle  you  shot.' 

"  '  That  was  because  it  was  so  like  you,  brother,'  I  re- 
plied ;  '  but,  indeed,  this  youth  may  have  better  cause  for 
tears  than  that  —  I  was  wrong.' 

"  '  Wait  a  while,'  said  the  woman  ;  '  if  I  mistake  not,  he 
will  make  you  weep  till  your  tears  are  dry  forever.  Tears 
are  the  only  cure  for  weeping.  And  you  may  have  need 
of  the  cure  before  you  go  forth  to  fight  the  giants.  You 
must  wait  for  him  in  your  tower  till  he  comes.' 

"  Now,  if  you  will  join  us,  we  will  soon  teach  you  to 
make  your  armor ;  and  we  will  fight  together,  and  work 
together,  and  love  each  other  as  never  three  loved  before. 
And  you  will  sing  to  us,  will  you  not?  " 

"That  I  will,  when  I  can,"  I  answered;  "but  it  is 
only  at  times  that  the  power  of  song  comes  upon  me.  For 
that  I  must  wait ;  but  I  have  a  feeling  that  if  I  work  well, 
song  will  not  be  far  off  to  enliven  the  labor." 


232  PHANTASTES  : 

This  wag  all  the  compact  made ;  the  brothers  required 
nothing  more,  and  I  did  not  think  of  giving  anything  more. 
I  rose,  and  threw  off  my  upper  garments. 

"I  know  the  uses  of  the  sword,"  I  said.  "I  am 
ashamed  of  my  white  hands  beside  yours  so  nobly  soiled 
and  hard;  but  that  shame  will  soon  be  wiped  away." 

"No,  no;  we  will  not  work  to-day.  Rest  is  as  needful 
as  toil.  Bring  the  wine,  brother ;  it  is  your  turn  to  serve 
to-day." 

The  younger  brother  soon  covered  a  -table  with  rough 
viands,  but  good  wine ;  and  we  ate  and  drank  heartily  be- 
side our  work.  Before  the  meal  was  over,  I  had  learned 
all  their  story.  Each  had  something  in  his  heart  which 
made  the  conviction,  that  he  would  victoriously  perish  in 
the  coming  conflict,  a  real  sorrow  to  him.  Otherwise  they 
thought  they  would  have  lived  enough.  The  causes  of 
their  trouble  were  respectively  these  :  — 

While  they  wrought  with  an  armorer,  in  a  city  famed 
for  workmanship  in  steel  and  silver,  the  elder  had  fallen  in, 
love  with  a  lady,  as  far  beneath  him  in  real  rank  as  she 
was  above  the  station  he  had  as  apprentice  to  an  armorer. 
Nor  did  he  seek  to  further  his  suit  by  discovering  himself; 
but  there  was  simply  so  much  manhood  about  him  that  no 
one  ever  thought  of  rank  when  in  his  company.  This  is 
what  his  brother  said  about  it.  The  lady  could  not  help 
loving  him  in  return.  He  told  her,  when  he  left  her,  that 
he  had  a  perilous  adventure  before  him,  and  that  when  it 


A  FAERIE   ROMANCE.  233 

was  achieved,  she  would  either  see  him  return  to  claim  her, 
or  hear  that  he  had  died  with  honor.  The  younger  broth- 
er's grief  arose  from  the  fact  that,  if  thej  were  both  slain, 
his  old  father,  the  king,  would  be  childless.  His  love  for 
his  father  was  so  exceeding  that,  to  one  unable  to  sympa- 
thize with  it,  it  would  have  appeared  extravagant.  Both 
loved  him  equally  at  heart ;  but  the  love  of  the  younger  - 
had  been  more  developed,  because  his  thoughts  and  anxie- 
ties had  not  been  otherwise  occupied.  When  at  home  he 
had  been  his  constant  companion,  and  of  late  had  minis- 
tered to  the  infirmities  of  his  growing  age.  The  youth  was 
never  weary  of  listening  to  the  tales  of  his  sire's  youthful 
adventures,  and  had  not  yet  in  the  smallest  degree  lost 
the  conviction  that  his  father  was  the  greatest  man  in  the 
world.  The  grandest  triumph  possible  to  his  conception 
was,  to  return  to  his  father,  laden  with  the  spoils  of  one  of 
the  hated  giants.  But  they  both  were  in  some  dread,  lest 
the  thought  of  the  loneliness  of  these  two  might  occur  to 
them  in  the  moment  when  decision  was  most  necessary, 
and  disturb,  in  some  degree,  the  self-possession  requisite  for 
the  success  of  their  attempt.  For,  as  I  have  said,  they 
were  yet  untried  in  actual  conflict.  "Now,"  thought  I, 
"  I  see  to  what  the  powers  of  my  gift  must  minister."  For 
my  own  part,  I  did  not  dread  death,  for  I  had  nothing  to 
care  to  live  for  ;  but  I  dreaded  the  encounter  because  of 
the  responsibility  connected  with  it.  I  resolved,  however, 
to  work  hard,  and  thus  grow  cool,  and  quick,  and  forceful. 


234  PHANTASIES  : 

The  time  passed  away  in  work  and  song,  in  talk  and 
ramble,  in  friendly  fight  and  brotherly  aid.  I  would  not 
forge  for  myself  armor  of  heavy  mail  like  theirs,  for  I  was 
not  so  powerful  as  they,  and  depended  more  for  any  success 
I  might  secure,  upon  nimbleness  of  motion,  certainty  of 
eye,  and  ready  response  of  hand.  Therefore,  I  began  to 
make  for  myself  a  shirt  of  steel  plates  and  rings ;  which 
work,  while  more  troublesome,  was  better  suited  to  me  than 
the  heavier  labor.  Much  assistance  did  the  brothers  give 
me,  even  after,  by  their  instructions,  I  was  able  to  make 
some  progress  alone.  Their  work  was  in  a  moment  aban- 
doned, to  render  any  required  aid  to  mine.  As  the  old 
woman  had  promised,  I  tried  to  repay  them  with  song ; 
and  many  were  the  tears  they  both  shed  over  my  ballads 
and  dirges.  The  songs  they  liked  best  to  hear  were  two 
which  I  made  for  them.  They  were  not  half  so  good  as 
many  others  I  knew,  especially  some  I  had  learned  from 
the  wise  woman  in  the  cottage ;  but  what  comes  nearest  to 
our  needs  we  like  the  best. 

I. 

"  The  king  sat  on  his  throne, 
Glowing  in  gold  and  red; 
The  crown  in  his  right  hand  shone, 
And  the  gray  hairs  crowned  his  head. 

"  His  only  son  walks  in, 

And  in  walls  of  steel  he  stands  : 
'Make  me,  O  father,  strong  to  win. 
With  the  blessing  of  holy  hands.' 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  235 

"  He  knelt  before  his  sire, 

Who  blessed  him  with  feeble  smile ; 

His  eyes  shone  out  with  a  kingly  fire, 

But  his  old  lips  quivered  the  while. 

"  '  Go  to  the  fight,  my  son, 

Bring  back  the  giant's  head ; 
And  the  crown  with  which  my  brows  have  done, 
Shall  glitter  on  thine  instead.' 

"  '  My  father,  I  seek  no  crown, 

But  unspoken  praise  from  thee ; 
For  thy  people's  good,  and  thy  renown, 
I  will  die  to  set  them  free.' 

"  The  king  sat  down  and  waited  there, 
And  rose  not,  night  nor  day ; 
Till  a  sound  of  shouting  filled  the  air, 
And  cries  of  a  sore  dismay. 

"  Then  like  a  king  he  sat  once  more, 
With  the  crown  upon  his  head ; 
And  up  to  the  throne  the  people  bore 
A  mighty  giant  dead. 

"  And  up  to  the  throne  the  people  bore 
A  pale  and  lifeless  boy. 
The  king  rose  up  like  a  proplTet  of  yore, 
In  a  lofty,  death-like  joy. 

"  He  put  the  crown  on  the  chilly  brow : 
'  Thou  should'st  have  reigned  with  me ; 
But  Death  is  the  king  of  both,  and  now 
I  go  to  obey  with  thee. 


286  PHANTASIES : 

*  '  Surely  some  good  in  me  there  lay, 
To  beget  the  noble  one.' 
The  old  man  smiled  like  a  winter  day, 
And  fell  beside  his  son." 

II. 

"  '  0  lady,  thy  lover  is  dead,'  they  cried ; 
'  He  is  dead,  but  hath  slain  the  foe ; 
He  hath  left  his  name  to  be  magnified 
In  a  song  of  wonder  and  woe.' 

"  'Alas !  I  am  well  repaid,'  said  she, 
'  With  a  pain  that  stings  like  joy ; 
For  I  feared,  from  his  tenderness  to  me , 
That  he  was  but  a  feeble  boy. 

*'  'Now  I  shall  hold  my  head  on  high. 
The  queen  among  my  kind. 
If  ye  hear  a  sound,  'tis  only  a  sigh 
For  a  glory  left  behind.'  " 

The  first  three  times  I  sang  these  songs  they  both  wept 
passionately.  But  after  the  third  time  they  wept  no  more. 
Their  eyes  shone,  and  their  faces  grew  pale,  but  they  never 
wept  at  any  of  my  songs  again. 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  237 


XXI. 

I  put  my  life  in  thy  hands. 

Tlie  Boole  of  Judges. 

At  length,  with  much  toil  and  equal  delight,  our  armor 
was  finished.  We  armed  each  other,  and  tested  the  strength 
of  the  defence,  with  many  blows  of  loving  force.  I  was  in- 
ferior in  strength  to  both  my  brothers,  but  a  little  more 
agile  than  either ;  and  upon  this  agility,  joined  to  precision 
in  hitting  with  the  point  of  my  weapon,  I  grounded  my 
hopes  of  success  in  the  ensuing  combat.  I  likewise  la- 
bored to  develop  yet  more  the  keenness  of  sight  with  which 
I  was  naturally  gifted  ;  and,  from  the  remarks  of  my  com- 
panions, I  soon  learned  that  my  endeavors  were  not  in 
vain. 

The  morning  arrived  on  which  we  had  determined  to 
make  the  attempt,  and  succeed  or  perish, — perhaps  both. 
We  had  resolved  to  fight  on  foot,  knowing  that  the  mishap 
of  many  of  the  knights  who  had  made  the  attempt,  had  re- 
sulted from  the  fright  of  their  horses  at  the  appearance 
of  the  giants,  and  believing  with  Sir  Gawain,  that,  though 
mare's  sons  might  be  false  to  us,  the  earth  would  never 
prove  a  traitor.  But  most  of  our  preparations  were,  in 
their  immediate  aim  at  least,  frustrated. 


238  PHANTASIES : 

We  rose,  that  fatal  morning,  by  daybreak.  "We  had 
rested  from  all  labor  the  day  before,  and  now  were  fresh  as 
the  lark.  We  bathed  in  cold  spring  water,  and  dressed 
ourselves  in  clean  garments,  with  a  sense  of  preparation  as 
for  a  solemn  festivity.  When  we  had  broken  our  fast,  I 
took  an  old  lyre,  which  I  had  found  in  the  tower  and  had 
myself  repaired,  and  sung  for  the  last  time  the  two  ballads 
of  which  I  have  said  so  much  already.  I  followed  them 
with  this,  for  a  closing  song  :  — 

"  Oh,  well  for  him  who  breaks  his  dream 
With  the  blow  that  ends  the  strife ; 
And,  waking,  knows  the  peace  that  flows 
Around  the  pain  of  life  ! 

"  We  are  dead,  my  brothers  !     Our  bodies  clasp, 
As  an  armor,  our  souls  about; 
This  hand  is  the  battle-axe  I  grasp, 
And  this  my  hammer  stout. 

"Fear  not,  my  brothers,  for  we  are  dead; 
No  noise  can  break  our  rest ; 
The  calm  of  the  grave  is  about  the  head, 
And  the  heart  heaves  not  the  breast. 

"  And  our  life  we  throw  to  our  people  back. 
To  live  with,  a  further  store  ; 
We  leave  it  them,  that  there  be  no  lack 
In  the  land  where  we  live  no  more. 

"  Oh,  well  for  him  who  breaks  liis  dream 
With  the  blow  that  ends  the  strife ; 
And,  waking,  knows  the  peace  that  flows 
Around  the  noise  of  life ! " 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  239 

As  the  last  few  tones  of  the  instrument  were  following, 
like  a  dirge,  the  death  of  the  song,  we  all  sprang  to  our 
feet ;  for,  thTough  one  of  the  little  windows  of  the  tower, 
towards  which  I  had  looked  as  I  sang,  I  saw,  suddenly 
rising  over  the  edge  of  the  slope  on  which  our  tower  stood, 
three  enormous  heads.  The  brothers  knew  at  once,  by 
my  looks,  what  caused  ray  sudden  movement.  We  were 
utterly  unarmed,  and  there  was  no  time  to  arm.  But  we 
seemed  to  adopt  the  same  resolution  simultaneously ;  for 
each  caught  up  his  favorite  weapon,  and,  leaving  his  defence 
behind,  sprang  to  the  door.  I  snatched  up  a  long  rapier, 
abruptly,  but  very  finely  pointed,  in  my  sword-hand,  and 
in  the  other  a  sabre ;  the  elder  brother  seized  his  heavy 
battle-axe ;  and  the  younger,  a  great  two-handed  sword, 
which  he  wielded  in  one  hand,  like  a  feather.  We  had  just 
time  to  get  clear  of  the  tower,  embrace  and  say  good-by, 
and  part  to  some  little  distance,  that  we  might  not  encumber 
each  other's  motions,  ere  the  triple  giant-brotherhood  drew 
near  to  attack  us.  They  were  about  twice  our  height,  and 
armed  to  the  teeth.  Through  the  visors  of  their  helmets 
their  monstrous  eyes  shone  with  a  horrible  ferocity,  I  was 
in  the  middle  position,  and  the  middle  giant  approached  me. 
My  eyes  were  busy  with  his  armor,  and  I  was  not  a  moment 
in  settling  my  mode  of  attack.  I  saw  that  his  body-armor 
was  somewhat  clumsily  made,  and  that  the  overlappings  in 
the  lower  part  had  more  play  than  necessary  ;  and  I  hoped 
that,  in  a  fortunate  moment,  some  joint  would  open  a  little 


240  PHANTASTES  : 

in  a  visible  and  accessible  part.  I  stood  till  he  came  near 
enough  to  aim  a  blow  at  me  with  the  mace,  which  has  been, 
in  all  ages,  the  favorite  weapon  of  giants,  when,  of  course, 
I  leaped  aside,  and  let  the  blow  fall  upon  the  spot  where  I 
had  been  standing.  I  expected  this  would  strain  the  joints 
of  his  armor  yet  more.  Full  of  fury,  he  made  at  me 
again ;  but  I  kept  him  busy  constantly  eluding  his  blows, 
and  hoping  thus  to  fatigue  him.  He  did  not  seem  to  fear 
any  assault  from  me,  and  I  attempted  none  as  yet ;  but 
while  I  watched  his  motions,  in  order  to  avoid  his  blows, 
I,  at  the  same  time,  kept  equal  watch  upon  those  joints 
of  his  armor,  through  some  one  of  which  I  hoped  to  reach 
his  life.  At  length,  as  if  somewhat  fatigued,  he  paused  a 
moment,  and  drew  himself  slightly  up ;  I  bounded  forward, 
foot  and  hand,  ran  my  rapier  right  through  to  the  armor 
of  his  back,  let  go  the  hilt,  and  passing  under  his  right 
arm,  turned  as  he  fell,  and  flew  at  him  with  my  sabre.  At 
one  happy  blow  I  divided  the  band  of  his  helmet,  which 
fell  off,  and  allowed  me,  with  a  second  cut  across  the  eyes, 
to  blind  him  quite ;  after  which  I  clove  his  head,  and 
turned,  uninjured,  to  see  how  my  brothers  had  fared. 
Both  the  giants  were  down  ;  but  so  were  my  brothers.  I 
flew  first  to  the  one  and  then  to  the  other  couple.  Both 
pairs  of  combatants  were  dead,  and  yet  locked  together,  as 
in  the  death-struggle.  The  elder  had  buried  his  battle-axe 
in  the  body  of  his  foe,  and  had  fallen  beneath  him  as  he 
fell.       The   giant  had   strangled  him   in  his   own  death- 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  241 

agonies.  The  younger  had  nearly  hewn  off  the  left  leg  of 
his  enemy;  and,  grappled  with  in  the  act,  had,  while  they 
rolled  together  on  the  earth,  found  for  his  dagger  a  passage 
betwixt  the  gorget  and  cuirass  of  the  giant,  and  stabbed  him 
mortally  in  the  throat.  The  blood  from  the  giant's  throat 
was  yet  pouring  over  the  hand  of  his  foe,  which  still 
grasped  the  hilt  of  the  dagger  sheathed  in  the  wound. 
They  lay  silent.  I,  the  least  worthy,  remained  the  sole 
survivor  in  the  lists. 

As  I  stood  exhausted  amidst  the  dead,  after  the  first 
worthy  deed  of  my  life,  I  suddenly  looked  behind  me,  and 
there  lay  the  Shadow,  black  in  the  sunshine.  I  went  into 
the  lonely  tower,  and  there  lay  the  useless  armor  of  the 
noble  youths,  —  supine  as  they.  Ah,  how  sad  it  looked  ! 
It  was  a  glorious  death  ;  but  it  was  death.  My  songs  could 
not  comfort  me  now.  I  was  almost  ashamed  that  I  was 
alive,  when  they,  the  true-hearted,  were  no  more.  And 
yet  I  breathed  freer  to  think  that  I  had  gone  through  the 
trial,  and  had  not  failed.  And  perhaps  I  may  be  forgiven 
if  some  feelings  of  pride  arose  in  my  bosom,  when  I  looked 
down  on  the  mighty  form  that  lay  dead  by  my  hand. 

"After  all,  however,"  I  said  to  myself,  and  my  heart 
sank,  "it  was  only  skill.  Your  giant  was  but  a 
blunderer." 

I  left  the  bodies  of  friends  and  foes  peaceful  enough 
when  the  death-fight  was  over,  and,  hastening  to  the 
country   below,    roused   the    peasants.     They   came    with 


^  242  PHANTASIES: 

shouting  and  gladness,  bringing  wagons  to  carry  the  bodies. 
I  resolved  to  take  the  princes  home  to  their  father,  each  as 
he  lay,  in  the  arms  of  his  country's  foe.  But  first  I  searched 
the  giants  and  found  the  keys  of  their  castle,  to  which  I 
repaired,  followed  by  a  great  company  of  the  people.  It 
was  a  place  of  wonderful  strength.  I  released  the  prisoners, 
knights  and  ladies,  all  in  a  sad  condition  from  the  cruelties 
and  neglects  of  the  giants.  It  humbled  me  to  see  them 
crowding  round  me  with  thanks,  when  in  truth  the  glorious 
brothers,  lying  dead  by  their  lonely  tower,  were  those  to 
whom  the  thanks  belonged.  I  had  but  aided  in  carrying 
out  the  thought  born  in  their  brain,  and  uttered  in  visible 
form  before  ever  I  laid  hold  thereupon.  Yet  I  did  count 
myself  happy  to  have  been  chosen  for  their  brother  in  this 
great  deed. 

After  a  few  hours  spent  in  refreshing  and  clothing  the 
prisoners,  we  all  commenced  our  journey  towards  the 
capital.  This  was  slow  at  first ;  but,  as  the  strength  and 
spirits  of  the  prisoners  returned,  it  became  more  rapid,  and 
in  three  days  we  reached  the  palace  of  the  king.  As  we 
entered  the  city  gates,  with  the  huge  bulks  lying  each  on 
a  wagon  drawn  by  horses,  and  two  of  them  inextricably 
intertwined  with  the  dead  bodies  of  their  princes,  the  people 
raised  a  shout  and  then  a  cry,  and  followed  in  multitudes 
the  solemn  procession. 

I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  the  behavior  of  the  grand 
old  king.     Joy  and  pride  in  his  sons  overcame  his  sorrow 


A   FAERIE  ROMANCE.  243 

at  their  loss.  On  me  he  heaped  every  kindness  that  heart 
could  devise  or  hand  execute.  He  used  to  sit  and  question 
me,  night  after  night,  about  everything  that  was  in  any 
way  connected  with  them  and  their  preparations.  Our 
mode  of  life  and  relation  to  each  other,  during  the  time 
we  spent  together,  was  a  constant  theme.  He  entered  into 
the  minutest  details  of  the  construction  of  the  armor,  even 
to  a  peculiar  mode  of  riveting  some  of  the  plates  with  un- 
wearying interest.  This  armor  I  had  intended  to  beg  of 
the  king  as  my  sole  memorials  of  the  contest ;  but,  when  I 
saw  the  delight  he  took  in  contemplating  it,  and  the  con- 
solation it  appeared  to  afford  him  in  his  sorrow,  I  could  not 
ask  for  it ;  but,  at  his  request,  left  my  own,  weapons  and 
all,  to  be  joined  with  theirs  in  a  trophy  erected  in  the 
grand  square  of  the  palace.  The  king,  with  gorgeous 
ceremony,  dubbed  me  knight  with  his  own  old  hand,  in 
which  trembled  the  sword  of  his  youth. 

During  the  short  time  I  remained  my  company  was 
naturally  much  courted  by  the  young  nobles.  I  was  in 
a  constant  round  of  gayety  and  diversion,  notwithstanding 
that  the  court  was  in  mourning ;  for  the  country  was  so 
rejoiced  at  the  death  of  the  giants,  and  so  many  of  their 
lost  friends  had  been  restored  to  the  nobility  and  men  of 
wealth,  that  the  gladness  surpassed  the  grief.  "Ye  have 
indeed  left  your  lives  to  your  people,  my  great  brothers  !  " 
I  said. 

But  I  was  ever  and  ever  haunted  by  the  old  shadow, 


244  PHANTASIES : 

which  I  had  not  seen  all  the  time  that  I  was  at  work  in  the 

tower.  Even  in  the  society  of  the  ladies  of  the  court,  who 
seemed  to  think  it  only  their  duty  to  make  my  stay  there 
as  pleasant  to  me  as  possible,  I  could  not  help  being  con- 
scious of  its  presence,  although  it  might  not  be  annoying  me 
at  the  time.  At  length,  somewhat  weary  of  uninterrupted 
pleasure,  and  nowise  strengthened  thereby  either  in  body 
or  mind,  I  put  on  a  splendid  suit  of  armor  of  steel  inlaid 
with  silver,  which  the  old  king  had  given  me,  and,  mount- 
ing the  horse  on  which  it  had  been  brought  to  me,  took  my 
leave  of  the  palace,  to  visit  the  distant  city  in  which  the 
lady  dwelt  whom  the  elder  prince  had  loved.  I  anticipated 
a  sore  task,  in  conveying  to  her  the  news  of  his  glorious 
fate ;  but  this  trial  was  spared  me,  in  a  manner  as  strange 
as  anything  that  had  happened  to  me  in  Fairy-land. 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  245 


XXII. 

Niemand  hat  meine  Gestalt  als  der  Ich. 

Schoppe,  in  Jean  Paul's  Titan. 

No  one  has  my  form  but  the  /. 


Joy's  a  subtil  elf. 
I  think  man's  happiest  when  he  forgets  himself. 

Ctkil  Tourneur.  —  TJie  Revenger's  Tragedy. 

On  the  third  day  of  my  journey  I  was  riding  gently 
along  a  road,  apparently  little  frequented,  to  judge  from 
the  grass  that  grew  upon  it.  I  was  approaching  a  forest. 
Everywhere  in  Fairy-land  forests  are  the  places  where  one 
may  most  certainly  expect  adventures.  As  I  drew  near,  a 
youth,  unarmed,  gentle,  and  beautiful,  who  had  just  cut  a 
branch  from  a  yew  growing  on  the  skirts  of  the  wood,  evi- 
dently to  make  himself  a  bow,  met  me,  and  thus  accosted 
me :  — 

' '  Sir  knight,  be  careful  as  thou  ridest  through  this  for- 
est ;  for  it  is  said  to  be  strangely  enchanted,  in  a  sort  which 
even  those  who  have  been  witnesses  of  its  enchantment  can 
hardly  describe." 

I  thanked  him  for  his  advice,  which  I  promised  to  follow, 
and  rode  on.      But  the   moment  I  entered  the  wood  it 


246        ,  PHANTASIES : 

seemed  to  me  that,  if  enchantment  there  was,  it  must  be  of 
a  good  kind ;  for  the  shadow,  which  had  been  more  than 
usually  dark  and  distressing  since  I  had  set  out  on  this 
journey,  suddenly  disappeared.  I  felt  a  wonderful  eleva- 
tion of  spirits,  and  began  to  reflect  on  my  past  life,  and 
especially  on  my  combat  with  the  giants,  with  such  satis- 
faction, that  I  had  actually  to  remind  myself  that  I  had  only 
killed  one  of  them ;  and  that,  but  for  the  brothers,  I  should 
never  have  had  the  idea  of  attacking  them,  not  to  mention 
the  smallest  power  of  standing  to  it.  Still  I  rejoiced,  and 
counted  myself  amongst  the  glorious  knights  of  old  ;  having 
even  the  unspeakable  presumption  —  my  shame  and  self- 
condemnation  at  the  memory  of  it  are  such  that  I  write  it 
as  the  only  and  sorest  penance  I  can  perform  —  to  think  of 
myself  (will  the  world  believe  it?)  as  side  by  side  with  Sir 
Galahad  !  Scarcely  had  the  thought  been  born  in  my 
mind,  when,  approaching  me  from  the  left,  through  the 
trees,  I  espied  a  resplendent  knight,  of  mighty  size,  whose 
armor  seemed  to  shine  of  itself,  without  the  sun.  When  he 
drew  near,  I  was  astonished  to  see  that  this  armor  was  like 
my  own ;  nay,  I  could  trace,  line  for  line,  the  correspond- 
ence of  the  inlaid  silver  to  the  device  on  my  own.  His 
horse,  too,  was  like  mine  in  color,  form,  and  motion ;  save 
that,  like  his  rider,  he  was  greater  and  fiercer  than  his 
counterpart.  The  knight  rode  with  beaver  up.  As  he 
halted  right  opposite  to  me  in  the  narrow  path,  barring  my 
way,  I  saw  the  reflection  of  my  countenance  in  the  centre 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  247 

plate  of  shining  steel  on  bis  breastplate.  Above  it  rose  the 
same  face,  —  bis  face,  —  only,  as  I  bave  said,  larger  and 
fiercer.  I  was  bewildered.  I  could  not  belp  feeling  some 
admiration  of  bim,  but  it  was  mingled  witb  a  dim  convic- 
tion tbat  he  was  evil,  and  that  I  ought  to  fight  with  him. 

"  Let  me  pass,"  I  said. 

"When  I  will,"  he  replied. 

Something  within  me  said  :  "  Spear  in  rest,  and  ride  at 
him  !  else  thou  art  forever  a  slave." 

I  tried,  but  my  arm  trembled  so  much  that  I  could  not 
couch  my  lance.  To  tell  the  truth,  I,  who  had  overcome 
the  giant,  shook  like  a  coward  before  this  knight.  He 
gave  a  scornful  laugh,  that  echoed  through  the  wood, 
turned  his  horse,  and  said,  without  looking  round,  ' '  Follow 
me." 

I  obeyed,  abashed  and  stupefied.  How  long  he  led,  and 
bow  long  I  followed,  I  cannot  tell.  "  I  never  knew  misery 
before,"  I  said  to  myself  "Would  that  I  had  at  least 
struck  him,  and  bad  had  my  death-blow  in  return  !  Why, 
then,  do  I  not  call  to  him  to  wheel  and  defend  himself? 
Alas  !  I  know  not  why,  but  I  cannot.  One  look  from  him 
would  cow  me  like  a  beaten  hound."  I  followed,  and  was 
silent. 

At  length  we  came  to  a  dreary  square  tower  in  the  middle 
of  a  dense  forest.  It  looked  as  if  scarce  a  ti-ee  had  been  cut 
down  to  make  room  for  it.  Across  the  very  door,  diag- 
onally, grew  the  stem  of  a  tree,  so  large  that  there  was  just 


248  PHANTASTES : 

room  to  squeeze  past  it  in  order  to  enter.  One  miserable 
square  hole  in  the  roof  was  the  only  visible  suggestion  of  a 
window.  Turret  or  battlement,  or  projecting  masonry  of 
any  kind,  it  had  none.  Clear  and  smooth  and  massive,  it 
rose  from  its  base,  and  ended  with  a  line  straight  and  un- 
broken. The  roof,  carried  to  a  centre  from  each  of  the 
four  walls,  rose  slightly  to  the  point  where  the  rafters  met. 
Round  the  base  lay  several  little  heaps  of  either  bits  of 
broken  branches,  withered  and  peeled,  or  half-whitened 
bones,  I  could  not  distinguish  which.  As  I  approached, 
the  ground  sounded  hollow  beneath  my  horse's  hoofs.  The 
knight  took  a  great  key  from  his  pocket,  and  reaching  past 
the  stem  of  the  tree,  with  some  difficulty  opened  the  door. 
"  Dismount !  "  he  commanded.  I  obeyed.  He  turned  my 
horse's  head  away  from  the  tower,  gave  him  a  terrible 
blow  with  the  flat  side  of  his  sword,  and  sent  him  madly 
tearing  through  the  forest. 

"Now,"  said  he  "enter,  and  take  your  companion  with 
you." 

I  looked  round :  knight  and  horse  had  vanished,  and  be- 
hind me  lay  the  horrible  shadow.  I  entered,  for  I  could 
not  help  myself ;  and  the  shadow  followed  me.  I  had  a 
terrible  conviction  that  the  knight  and  he  were  one.  The 
door  closed  behind  me. 

Now  I  was  indeed  in  pitiful  plight.  There  was  literally 
nothing  in  the  tower  but  my  shadow  and  me.  The  walls 
rose  right  up  to  the  roof;  in  which,  as  I  had  seen  from 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  249 

without,  there  was  one  little  square  opening.  This  I  now 
knew  to  be  the  only  window  the  tower  possessed.  I  sat 
down  on  the  floor  in  listless  wretchedness.  I  think  I  must 
have  fallen  asleep,  and  have  slept  for  hours;  for  I  sud- 
denly became  aware  of  existence  in  observing  that  the 
moon  was  shining  through  the  hole  in  the  roof  As  she 
rose  higher  and  higher,  her  light  crept  down  the  wall  over 
me,  till  at  last  it  shone  right  upon  my  head.  Instantane- 
ously the  walls  of  the  tower  seemed  to  vanish  away  like  a 
mist.  I  sat  beneath  a  beech,  on  the  edge  of  a  forest,  and 
the  open  country  lay,  in  the  moonlight,  for  miles  and  miles 
around  me,  spotted  with  glimmering  houses  and  spires  and 
towers.  I  thought  with  myself,  "  Oh,  joy  !  it  was  only  a 
dream ;  the  horrible,  narrow  waste  is  gone,  and  I  wake  be- 
neath a  beech-tree,  perhaps  one  that  loves  me,  and  I  can 
go  where  I  will."  I  rose,  as  I  thought,  and  walked  about, 
and  did  what  I  would,  but  ever  kept  near  the  tree ;  for 
always,  and,  of  course,  since  my  meeting  with  the  woman 
of  the  beech-tree  far  more  than  ever,  I  loved  that  tree. 
So  the  night  wore  on.  I  waited  for  the  sun  to  rise,  before 
I  could  venture  to  renew  my  journey.  But  as  soon  as  the 
first  faint  light  of  the  dawn  appeared,  instead  of  shining 
upon  me  from  the  eye  of  the  morning,  it  stole  like  a  faint- 
ing ghost  through  the  little  square  hole  above  my  head ; 
and  the  walls  came  out  as  the  light  grew,  and  the  glorious 
night  was  swallowed  up  of  the  hateful  day.  The  long, 
dreary  day  passed.     My  shadow  lay  black  on  the  floor.     I 


250  PHANTASTES : 

felt  no  hunger,  no  need  of  food.  The  night  came.  The 
moon  shone.  I  watched  her  light  slowly  descending  the 
wall,  as  I  might  have  watched,  adown  the  sky,  the  long, 
swift  approach  of  a  helping  angel.  Her  rays  touched  me,  and 
I  was  free.  Thus  night  after  night  passed  away.  I  should 
have  died  but  for  this.  Every  night  the  conviction  returned 
that  I  was  free.  Every  morning  I  sat  wretchedly  disconso- 
late. At  length,  when  the  course  of  the  moon  no  longer 
permitted  her  beams  to  touch  me,  the  night  was  dreary  as 
the  day.  When  I  slept,  I  was  somewhat  consoled  by  my 
dreams ;  but  all  the  time  I  dreamed,  I  knew  that  I  was 
only  dreaming.  But  one  night,  at  length,  the  moon,  a 
mere  shred  of  pallor,  scattered  a  few,  thin,  ghostly  rays 
upon  me ;  and  I  think  I  fell  asleep  and  dreamed.  I  sat  in 
an  autumn  night,  before  the  vintage,  on  a  hill  overlooking 
my  own  castle.  My  heart  sprang  with  joy.  Oh,  to  be  a 
child  again,  innocent,  fearless,  without  shame  or  desire  !  I 
walked  down  to  the  castle.  All  were  in  consternation  at 
my  absence.  My  sisters  were  weeping  for  my  loss.  They 
sprang  up  and  clung  to  me,  with  incoherent  cries,  as  I  en- 
tered. My  old  friends  came  flocking  round  me.  A  gray 
light  shone  on  the  roof  of  the  hall.  It  was  the  light  of  the 
dawn  shining  through  the  square  window  of  my  tower. 
More  earnestly  than  ever,  I  longed  for  freedom  after  this 
dream ;  more  drearily  than  ever,  crept  on  the  next  wretched 
day.     I  measured  by  the  sunbeams,   caught  through  the 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  251 

little  window  in  the  trap  of  my  tower,  how  it  went  by, 
waiting  only  for  the  dreams  of  the  night. 

About  noon,  I  started,  as  if  something  foreign  to  all  my 
senses  and  all  my  experience,  had  suddenly  invaded  me ; 
yet  it  was  only  the  voice  of  a  woman  singing.  My  whole 
frame  quivered  with  joy,  surprise,  and  the  sensation  of  the 
unforeseen.  Like  a  living  soul,  like  an  incarnation  of 
Nature,  the  song  entered  my  prison-house.  Each  tone 
folded  its  wings,  and  laid  itself,  like  a  caressing  bird,  upon 
my  heart.  It  bathed  me  like  a  sea ;  inwrapt  me  like  an 
odorous  vapor;  entered  my  soul  like  a  long  draught  of 
clear  spring- water ;  shone  upon  me  like  essential  sunlight ; 
soothed  me  like  a  mother's  voice  and  hand.  Yet,  as  the 
clearest  forest  well  tastes  sometimes  of  the  bitterness  of  de- 
cayed leaves,  so  to  my  weary,  prisoned  heart  its  cheerful- 
ness had  a  sting  of  cold,  and  its  tenderness  unmanned  me 
with  the  faintness  of  long-departed  joys.  I  wept,  half-bit- 
terly,  half-luxuriously ;  but  not  long.  I  dashed  away  the 
tears,  ashamed  of  a  weakness  which  I  thought  I  had  aban- 
doned. Ere  I  knew,  I  had  walked  to  the  door,  and  seated 
myself  with  my  ear  against  it,  in  order  to  catch  every 
syllable  of  the  revelation  from  the  unseen  outer  world. 
And  now  I  heard  each  word  distinctly.  The  singer  seemed 
to  be  standing  or  sitting  near  the  tower,  for  the  sounds  in- 
dicated no  change  of  place.  The  song  was  something  like 
this :  — 


252  PHANTASTES : 

"  The  sun,  like  a  golden  knot  on  high, 
Gathers  the  glories  of  the  sky, 
And  binds  them  into  a  shining  tent, 
Hoofing  the  world  with  the  firmament. 
And  through  the  pavilion  the  rich  winds  blow. 
And  through  the  pavilion  the  waters  go. 
And  the  birds  for  joy,  and  the  trees  for  prayer, 
Bowing  their  heads  in  the  sunny  air, 
And  for  thoughts,  the  gently  talking  springs, 
That  come  from  the  centre  with  secret  things, 
All  make  a  music,  gentle  and  strong. 
Bound  by  the  heart  into  one  sweet  song. 
And  amidst  them  all,  the  mother  Earth 
Sits  with  the  children  of  her  birth ; 
She  tendeth  them  all,  as  a  mother  hen 
Her  little  ones  round  her,  twelve  or  ten  : 
Oft  she  sitteth,  with  hands  on  knee, 
Idle  with  love  for  her  family. 
Go  forth  to  her  from  the  dark  and  the  dust, 
And  weep  beside  her,  if  weep  thou  must ; 
If  she  may  not  hold  thee  to  her  breast. 
Like  a  weary  infant  that  cries  for  rest ; 
At  least  she  will  press  thee  to  her  knee, 
And  tell  a  low,  sweet  tale  to  thee, 
Tiil  the  hue  to  thy  cheek,  and  the  light  to  thine  eye, 
Strength  to  thy  limbs,  and  courage  high 
To  thy  fainting  heart,  return  amain. 
And  away  to  work  thou  goest  again. 
From  the  narrow  desert,  O  man  of  pride. 
Come  into  the  house,  so  high  and  wide." 

Hardly  knowing  what  I  did,  I  opened  the  door.     Why  had 
I  not  done  so  before  ?     I  do  not  know. 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  253 

At  first  I  could  see  no  one  ;  but  when  I  had  forced  my- 
self past  the  tree  which  grew  across  the  entrance,  I  saw, 
seated  on  the  ground,  and  leaning  against  the  tree,  with 
her  back  to  my  prison,  a  beautiful  woman.  Her  counte- 
nance seemed  known  to  me,  and  yet  unknown.  She  looked 
up  at  me  and  smiled  when  I  made  my  appearance, 

"  Ah!  were  you  the  prisoner  there  ?  I  am  very  glad  I 
have  wiled  you  out." 

"  Do  you  know  me  then?  " 

"  Do  you  not  know  me?  But  you  hurt  me,  and  that,  I 
suppose,  makes  it  easy  for  a  man  to  forget.  You  broke 
my  globe.  Yet  I  thank  you.  Perhaps  I  owe  you  many 
thanks  for  breaking  it.  I  took  the  pieces,  all  black,  and 
wet  with  crying  over  them,  to  the  Fairy  Queen.  There 
was  no  music  and  no  light  in  them  now.  But  she  took 
them  from  me,  and  laid  them  aside ;  and  made  me  go  to 
sleep  in  a  great  hall  of  white,  with  black  pillars,  and  many 
red  curtains.  When  I  woke  in  the  morning,  I  went  to  her, 
hoping  to  have  my  globe  again,  whole  and  sound  ;  but  she 
sent  me  away  without  it,  and  I  have  not  seen  it  since. 
Nor  do  I  care  for  it  now.  I  have  something  so  much 
better.  I  do  not  need  the  globe  to  play  to  me;  for  I  can 
sing.  I  could  not  sing  at  all 'before.  Now  I  go  about 
everywhere  through  Fairy-land,  singing  till  my  heart  is 
like  to  break,  just  like  my  globe,  for  very  joy  at  my  own 
songs.     And  wherever  I  go,  my  songs  do  good  and  deliver 


254  PHANTASTES : 

people.  And  now  I  have  delivered  you,  and  I  am  so 
happy." 

She  ceased,  and  the  tears  came  into  her  eyes. 

All  this  time,  I  had  been  gazing  at  her,  and  now  fully 
recognized  the  face  of  the  child,  glorified  in  the  counte- 
nance of  the  woman.  I  was  ashamed  and  humbled  before 
her ;  but  a  great  weight  was  lifted  from  my  thoughts.  I 
knelt  before  her,  and  thanked  her,  and  begged  her  to  for- 
give me. 

•  'Eise,  rise,"  she  said;  "I  have  nothing  to  forgive ;  I 
thank  you.  But  now  I  must  be  gone,  for  I  do  not  know 
Jiow  many  may  be  waiting  for  me,  here  and  there,  through 
the  dark  forests;  and  they  cannot  come  out  till  I  come." 

She  rose,  and  with  a  smile  and  a  farewell  turned  and 
left  me.  I  dared  not  ask  her  to  stay ;  in"  fact,  I  could 
hardly  speak  to  her.  Between  her  and  me  there  was  a 
great  gulf.  She  was  uplifted,  by  sorrow  and  well-doing, 
into  a  region  I  could  hardly  hope  ever  to  enter.  I 
watched '  her  departure  as  one  watches  a  sunset.  She  went 
like  a  radiance  through  the  dark  wood,  which  was  hence- 
forth bright  to  me,  from  simply  knowing  that  such  a  creature 
was  in  it.  She  was  bearing  the  sun  to  the  unsunned  spots. 
The  light  and  the  music  of  her  broken  globe  were  now  in 
her  heart  and  her  brain.  As  she  went,  she  sang,  and  I 
caught  these  few  words  of  her  song ;  and  the  tones  seemed 
to  linger  and  wind  about  the  trees  after  she  had  dis- 
appeared :  — 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  255 

"  Thou  goest  thine,  .and  I  go  mine,  — 
Many  ways  we  wend ; 
Many  days,  and  many  ways, 
Ending  in  one  end. 

"  Many  a  wrong,  and  its  curing  song; 
Many  a  road,  and  many  an  inn ; 
Room  to  roam,  hut  only  one  home 
For  all  the  world  to  win." 

And  SO  she  vanished.  With  a  sad  heart,  soothed  by 
humility  and  the  knowledge  of  her  peace  and  gladness,  I 
bethought  me  what  now  I  should  do.  First,  I  must  leave 
the  tower  far  behind  me,  lest,  in  some  evil  moment,  I  might 
be  once  more  caged  within  its  horrible  walls.  But  it  was 
ill  walking  in  my  heavy  armor ;  and,  besides,  I  had  now  no 
right  to  the  golden  spurs  and  the  resplendent  mail,  fitly 
dulled  with  long  neglect.  I  might  do  for  a  squire ;  but  I 
honored  knighthood  too  highly  to  call  myself  any  longer 
one  of  the  noble  brotherhood.  I  stripped  off  all  my  armor, 
piled  it  under  the  tree,  just  where  the  lady  had  been  seated, 
and  took  my  unknown  way,  eastward  through  the  woods. 
Of  all  my  weapons,  I  carried  only  a  short  axe  in  my  hand. 
Then  first  I  knew  the  delight  of  being  lowly ;  of  saying  to 
myself,  "I  am  what  I  am,  nothing  more.  "I  have 
failed,"  I  said;  "I  have  lost  myself — would  it  had  been 
my  shadow  !  "  I  looked  round  ;  the  shadow  was  nowhere 
to  be  seen.  Ere  long  I  learned  that  it  was  not  myself, 
but  only  my  shadow,  that  I  had  lost.     I  learned  that  it  is 


256  PHANTASIES  : 

better,  a  thousand-fold,  for  a  proud  man  to  fall  and  be 
humbled,  than  to  hold  up  his  head  in  his  pride  and  fancied 
innocence.  I  learned  that  he  that  "will  be  a  hero  will  barely 
be  a  man ;  that  he  that  will  be  nothing  but  a  doer  of  his 
work  is  sure  of  his  manhood.  In  nothing  was  my  ideal 
lowered,  or  dimmed,  or  grown  less  precious  ;  I  only  saw 
it  too  plainly,  to  set  myself  for  a  moment  beside  it.  Indeed, 
my  ideal  soon  became  my  life  ;  whereas,  formerly,  my  life 
had  consisted  in  a  vain  attempt  to  behold,  if  not  my  ideal 
in  myself,  at  least  myself  in  my  ideal.  Now,  however,  I 
took,  at  first,  what  perhaps  was  a  mistaken  pleasure,  in 
despising  and  degrading  myself  Another  self  seemed  to 
arise,  like  a  white  spirit  from  a  dead  man,  from  the  dumb 
and  trampled  self  of  the  past.  Doubtless  this  self  must 
again  die  and  be  buried,  and  again,  from  its  tomb,  spring 
a  winged  child  :  but  of  this  my  history  as  yet  bears  not  the 
record.  Self  will  come  to  life  even  in  the  slaying  of  self; 
but  there  is  ever  something  deeper  and  stronger  than  it, 
which  will  emerge  at  last  from  the  unknown  abysses  of  the 
soul :  will  it  be  as  a  solemn  gloom,  burning  with  eyes  ?  or  a 
clear  morning  after  the  rain  ?  or  a  smiling  child,  that  finds 
itself  nowhere,  and  everywhere  ? 

13 


A    FAERIE   ROMANCE.  257 


XXIII, 

High  erected  thought,  seated  in  a  heart  of  courtesy. 

Sir  Philip  Sidney. 


A  sweet,  attractive  kinde  of  grace, 
A  full  assurance  given  by  lookes, 

Continuall  comfort  in  a  face, 

The  lineaments  of  Gospell  bookes. 

Spenser,  on  Sir  Philip  Sidney. 

I  HAD  not  gone  far,  for  I  had  but  just  lost  sight  of  the 
hated  tower,  when  a  voice  of  another  sort,  sounding  near  or 
far,  as  the  trees  permitted  or  intercepted  its  passage,  reached 
me.  It  was  a  full,  deep,  manlj  voice,  but  withal  clear  and 
melodious.  Now  it  burst  on  the  ear  with  a  sudden  swell, 
and  anon,  dying  away  as  suddenly,  seemed  to  come  to  me 
across  a  great  space.  Nevertheless,  it  drew  nearer ;  till  at 
last  I  could  distinguish  the  words  of  the  song,  and  get  tran- 
sient glimpses  of  the  singer  between  the  columns  of  the 
trees.  He  came  nearer,  dawning  upon  me  like  a  growing 
thought.  He  was  a  knight,  armed  from  head  to  heel, 
mounted  upon  a  strange-looking  beast,  whose  form  I  could 
not  understand.     The  words  which  I  heard  him  sing  were 

like  these  :— 
17 


268  PHANTASTES: 

"  Heart  be  stout, 
And  eye  be  true ; 
Good  blade  out ! 
And  ill  shall  rue. 

"  Courage,  horse ! 

Thou  lack'st  no  skill ; 
Well  thy  force 

Hath  matched  my  will, 

"  For  the  foe, 

With  fiery  breath, 
At  a  blow. 
Is  still  in  death. 

"  Gently,  horse ! 
Tread  fearlessly ; 
'Tis  his  corse 
That  burdens  thee. 

"  The  sun's  eye 

Is  fierce  at  noon; 
Thou  and  I 
Will  rest  full  soon. 

"  And  new  strength 

New  work  will  meet ; 
Till,  at  length. 
Long  rest  is  sweet.  " 

And  now  horse  and  rider  had  arrived  near  enough  for 
me  to  see,  fastened  by  the  long  neck  to  the  hinder  part  of 
the  saddle,  and  trailing  its  hideous  length  on  the  ground 
behind,  the  body  of  a  great   dragon.     It  was  no   wonder 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  259 

that,  with  such  a  drag  at  his  heels,  the  horse  could  make 
but  slow  progress,  notwithstanding  his  evident  dismay. 
The  horrid,  serpent-like  head,  with  its  black  tongue,  forked 
with  red,  hanging  out  of  its  jaws,  dangled  against  the 
horse's  side.  Its  neck  was  covered  with  long  blue  hair; 
its  sides  with  scales  of  green  and  gold.  Its  back  was  of 
corrugated  skin,  of  a  purple  hue.  Its  belly  was  similar  in 
nature,  but  its  color  was  leaden,  dashed  with  blotches  of 
livid  blue.  Its  skinny,  bat-like  wings  and  its  tail  were  of  a 
dull  gray.  It  was  strange  to  see  how  so  many  gorgeous 
colors,  so  many  curving  lines,  and  such  beautiful  things  as 
wings  and  hair  and  scales,  combined  to  form  the  horrible 
creature,  intense  in  ugliness. 

The  knight  was  passing  me  with  a  salutation ;  but,  as  I 
walked  towards  him,  he  reined  up,  and  I  stood  by  his  stir- 
rup. When  I  came  near  him,  I  saw,  to  my  surprise  and 
pleasure  likewise,  although  a  sudden  pain,  like  a  birth  of 
fire,  sprang  up  in  my  heart,  that  it  was  the  knight  of  the 
soiled  armor,  whom  I  knew  before,  and  whom  I  had  seen 
in  the  vision  with  the  lady  of  the  marble.  But  I  could 
have  thrown  my  arms  around  him,  because  she  loved  him. 
This  discovery  only  strengthened  the  resolution  I  had 
formed,  before  I  recognized  him,  of  offering  myself  to  the 
knight,  to  wait  upon  him  as  a  squire,  for  he  seemed  to  be 
unattended.  I  made  my  request  in  as  few  words  as  pos- 
sible. He  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and  looked  at  me 
thoughtfully.     I  saw  that  he  suspected  who  I  was,  but  that 


260  phantasies: 

he  continued  uncertain  of  his  suspicion.  No  doubt  he  was 
soon  convinced  of  its  truth ;  but  all  the  time  I  was  with 
him  not  a  word  crossed  his  lips  with  reference  to  what  he 
evidently  concluded  I  wished  to  leave  unnoticed,  if  not  to 
keep  concealed. 

"  Squire  and  knight  should  be  friends,"  said  he;  "can 
you  take  me  by  the  hand?  "  And  he  held  out  the  great, 
gauntleted  right  hand.  I  grasped  it  willingly  and  strongly. 
Not  a  word  more  was  said.  The  knight  gave  the  sign  to 
his  horse,  which  again  began  his  slow  march,  and  I  walked 
beside  and  a  little  behind. 

We  had  not  gone  very  far  before  we  arrived  at  a  little 
cottage ;  from  which,  as  we  drew  near,  a  woman  rushed  out 
with  the  cry :  — 

"  My  child  !  my  child  !   have  you  found  my  child  ?  " 

"  I  have  found  her,"  replied  the  knight;  "but  she  is 
sorely  hurt.  I  was  forced  to  leave  her  with  the  hermit,  as 
I  returned.  You  will  find  her  there,  and  I  think  she  will 
get  better.  You  see  I  have  brought  you  a  present.  This 
wretch  will  not  hurt  you  again."  And  he  undid  the  crea- 
ture's neck,  and  flung  the  frightful  burden  down  by  the 
cottage  door. 

The  woman  was  now  almost  out  of  sight  in  the  wood  ; 
but  the  husband  stood  at  the  door  with  speechless  thanks 
in  his  face. 

"You  must  bury  the  monster,"  said  the  knight.  "If 
I  had  arrived  a  moment  later,  I  should  have  been  too  late. 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  261 

But  now  you  need  not  fear,  for  such  a  creature  as  this  very 
rarely  appears,  in  the  same  part,  twice  during  a  lifetime." 

"Will  you  not  dismount  and  rest  you.  Sir  Knight?" 
said  the  peasant,  who  had,  by  this  time,  recovered  himself 
a  little. 

"That  I  will,  thankfully,"  said  he;  and,  dismounting, 
he  gave  the  reins  to  me,  and  told  me  to  unbridle  the  horse 
and  lead  him  into  the  shade.  "  You  need  not  tie  him  up," 
he  added ;   "he  will  not  run  away." 

When  I  returned,  after  obeying  his  orders,  and  entered  the 
cottage,  I  saw  the  knight  seated,  without  his  helmet,  and 
talking  most  familiarly  with  the  simple  host.  I  stood  at 
the  open  door  for  a  moment,  and,  gazing  at  him,  inwardly 
justified  the  white  lady  in  preferring  him  to  me.  A  nobler 
countenance  I  never  saw.  Loving-kindness  beamed  from 
every  line  of  his  face.  It  seemed  as  if  he  would  repay 
himself  for  the  late  arduous  combat  by  indulging  in  all  the 
gentleness  of  a  womanly  heart.  But  when  the  talk  ceased 
for  a  moment,  he  seemed  to  fall  into  a  reverie.  Then  the 
exquisite  curves  of  the  upper  lip  vanished.  The  lip  was 
lengthened  and  compressed  at  the  same  moment.  You 
could  have  told  that,  within  the  lips,  the  teeth  were  firmly 
closed.  The  whole  face  grew  stern  and  determined,  all 
but  fierce ;  only  the  eyes  burned  on  like  a  holy  sacrifice, 
uplift  on  a  granite  rock. 

The  woman  entered,  with  her  mangled  child  in  her  arms. 
She  was  pale  as  her  little  burden.     She  gazed,  with  a  wild 


262  PHANTASIES: 

love  and  despairing  tenderness,  on  the  still,  all  but  dead 
face,  wliite  and  clear  from  loss  of  blood  and  terror. 

The  knicrht  rose.  The  light  that  had  been  confined  to 
his  eyes  now  shone  from  his  whole  countenance.  He  took 
the  little  thing  in  his  arms,  and,  with  the  mother's  help, 
undressed  her,  and  looked  to  her  wounds.  The  tears  flowed 
down  his  face  as  he  did  so.  With  tender  hands  he  bound 
them  up,  kissed  the  pale  cheek,  and  gave  her  back  to  her 
mother.  When  he  went  home,  all  his  tale  would  be  of  the 
grief  and  joj  of  the  parents ;  while  to  me,  who  had  looked 
on,  the  gracious  countenance  of  the  armed  man,  beaming 
from  the  panoplj  of  steel,  over  the  seemingly  dead  child, 
while  the  powerful  hands  turned  it  and  shifted  it,  and 
bound  it,  if  possible  even  more  gently  than  the  mother's, 
formed  the  centre  of  the  story. 

After  we  had  partaken  of  the  best  they  could  give  us, 
the  knight  took  his  leave,  with  a  few  parting  instructions 
to  the  mother,  as  to  how  she  should  treat  the  child. 

I  brought  the  knight  his  steel,  held  the  stirrup  while  he 
mounted,  and  then  followed  him  through  the  wood.  The 
horse,  delighted  to  be  fi'ee  of  his  hideous  load,  bounded  be- 
neath the  weight  of  man  and  armor,  and  could  hardly  be 
restrained  from  galloping  on.  But  the  knight  made  him 
time  his  powers  to  mine,  and  so  we  went  on  for  an  hour  or 
two.  Then  the  knight  dismounted,  and  compelled  me  to 
get  into  the  saddle,  saying,  ' '  Knight  and  squire  must  share 
the  labor." 


A   FAEKIB    ROMANCE.  263 

Holding  hy  the  stirrup,  he  walked  along  by  my  side, 
heavily  clad  as  he  "was,  with  apparent  ease.  As  we  went, 
he  led  a  conversation,  in  which  I  took  what  humble  part 
my  sense  of  my  condition  would  permit  me. 

"Somehow  or  other,"  said  he,  "notwithstanding  the 
beauty  of  this  country  of  Faerie,  in  which  we  are,  there  is 
much  that  is  wrong  in  it.  If  there  are  great  splendors, 
there  are  corresponding  horrors ;  heights  and  depths ; 
beautiful  women  and  awful  fiends ;  noble  men  and  weak- 
lings. All  a  man  has  to  do,  is  to  better  what  he  can. 
And  if  he  will  settle  it  with  himself  that  even  renown  and 
success  are  in  themselves  of  no  great  value,  and  be  content 
to  be  defeated,  if  so  be  that  the  fault  is  not  his,  and  so  go 
to  his  work  with  a  cool  brain  and  a  strong  will,  he  will  get 
it  done  ;  and  fare  none  the  worse  in  the  end,  that  he  was 
not  burdened  with  provision  and  precaution." 

"  But  he  will  not  always  come  off  well,"  I  ventured  to 
say. 

"  Perhaps  not,"  rejoined  the  knight,  "  in  the  individual 
act ;  but  the  result  of  his  lifetime  will  content  him." 

"  So  it  will  fare  with  you,  doubtless,"  thought  I;  "  but 
for  me  —  " 

Venturing  to  resume  the  conversation  after  a  pause,  I 
said,  hesitatingly :  — 

"  May  I  ask  for  what  the  little  beggar-girl  wanted  your 
aid  when  she  came  to  your  castle  to  find  you  ?  " 


264  PHANTASTES : 

He  looked  at  me  for  a  moment  in  silence,  and  then 
said  :  — 

"I  cannot  help  wondering  how  you  know  of  that;  but 
there  is  something  about  you  quite  strange  enough  to  en- 
title you  to  the  privilege  of  the  country,  —  namely,  to  go  un- 
questioned. I,  however,  being  only  a  man,  such  as  you 
see  me,  am  ready  to  tell  you  anything  you  like  to  ask  me, 
as  far  as  I  can.  The  little  beggar-girl  came  into  the  hall 
where  I  was  sitting,  and  told  me  a  very  curious  story, 
which  I  can  only  recollect  very  vaguely,  it  was  so  peculiar. 
What  I  can  recall  is,  that  she  was  sent  to  gather  wings. 
As  soon  as  she  had  gathered  a  pair  of  wings  for  herself,  she 
was  to  fly  away,  she  said,  to  the  country  she  came  from ; 
but  where  that  was  she  could  give  no  information.  She 
said  she  had  to  beg  her  wings  from  the  butterflies  and 
moths ;  and  whenever  she  begged,  no  one  refused  her. 
But  she  needed  a  great  many  of  the  wings  of  butterflies 
and  moths  to  make  a  pair  for  her ;  and  so  she  had  to 
wander  about  day  after  day,  looking  for  butterflies,  and 
night  after  night,  looking  for  moths  ;  and  then  she  begged 
for  their  wings.  But  the  day  before,  she  had  come  into  a 
part  of  the  forest,  she  said,  where  there  were  multitudes  of 
splendid  butterflies  flitting  about,  with  wings  which  were 
just  fit  to  make  the  eyes  in  the  shoulders  of  hers ;  and  she 
knew  she  could  have  as  many  of  them  as  she  liked  for  the 
asking ;  but  as  soon  as  she  began  to  beg,  there  came  a 
great  creature  right  up  to  her,  and  threw  her  down,  and 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  265 

walked  over  her.  When  she  got  up,  she  saw  the  wood  was 
full  of  these  beings  stalking  about,  and  seeming  to  have 
nothing  to  do  with  each  other.  As  soon  as  ever  she  began 
to  beg,  one  of  them  walked  over  her ;  till  at  last,  in  dis- 
may, and  in  growing  horror  of  the  senseless  creatures,  she 
had  run  away  to  look  for  somebody  to  help  her.  I  asked 
her  what  they  were  like.  She  said,  like  great  men,  made 
of  wood,  without  knee  or  elbow  joints,  and  without  any 
noses  or  mouths  or  eyes  in  their  faces.  I  laughed  at  the 
little  maiden,  thinking  she  was  making  child's  game  of  me; 
but,  although  she  burst  out  laughing  too,  she  persisted  in 
asserting  the  truth  of  her  story. 

"'Only  come,  knight,  come  and  see;  I  will  lead 
you.' 

"So  I  armed  myself,  to  be  ready  for  anything  that 
might  happen,  and  followed  the  child  ;  for,  though  I  could 
make  nothing  of  her  story,  I  could  see  she  was  a  little 
human  being  in  need  of  some  help  or  other.  As  she 
walked  before  me,  I  looked  attentively -at  her.  Whether 
or  not  it  was  from  being  so  often  knocked  down  and 
walked  over,  I  could  not  tell,  but  her  clothes  were  very 
much  torn,  and  in  several  places  her  white  skin  was  peep- 
ing through.  I  thought  she  was  humpbacked ;  but  on 
looking  more  closely,  I  saw,  through  the  tatters  of  her 
frock,  —  do  not  laugh  at  me,  —  a  bunch  on  each  shoulder, 
of  the  most  gorgeous  colors.  Looking  yet  more  closely, 
I  saw  that  they  were  of  the  shape  of  folded  wings,  and  were 


266  PHANTASTES: 

made  of  all  kinds  of  butterflj-wings  and  moth-wings, 
crowded  too;ether  like  the  feathers  on  the  individual  butter- 
fly  pinion  ;  but,  like  them,  most  beautifully  arranged,  and 
producing  a  perfect  harmony  of  color  and  shade.  I  could 
now  more  easily  believe  the  rest  of  her  story ;  especially  as 
I  saw,  every  now  and  then,  a  certain  heaving  motion  in  the 
wings,  as  if  they  longed  to  be  uplifted  and  outspread.  But 
beneath  her  scanty  garments  complete  wings  could  not  be 
concealed,  and,  indeed,  from  her  own  story,  they  were  yet 
unfinished. 

"  After  walking  for  two  or  three  hours  (how  the  little 
girl  found  her  way,  I  could  not  imagine),  we  came  to  a  part 
of  the  forest,  the  very  air  of  which  was  quivering  with  the 
motions  of  multitudes  of  resplendent  butterflies,  as  gor- 
geous in  color,  as  if  the  eyes  of  peacocks'  feathers  had  taken 
to  flight,  but  of  infinite  variety  of  hue  and  form,  only  that 
the  appearance  of  some  kind  of  eye  on  each  wing  predomi- 
nated. '  There  they  are !  there  they  are  !  '  cried  the  child, 
in  a  tone  of  victory  mingled  with  terror.  Except  for  this 
tone,  I  should  have  thought  she  referred  to  the  butterflies, 
for  I  could  see  nothing  else.  But  at  that  moment  an 
enormous  butterfly,  whose  wings  had  great  eyes  of  blue 
surrounded  by  confused  cloudy  heaps  of  more  dingy  color- 
ing, just  like  a  break  in  the  clouds  on  a  stormy  day 
towards  evening,  settled  near  us.  The  child  instantly  be- 
gan murmuring,  '  Butterfly,  butterfly, '  give  me  your 
wings ; '  when,  the  moment  after,  she  fell  to  the  ground, 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  267 

and  began  crying  as  if  hurt.  I  drew  my  sword  and  heaved 
a  great  blow  in  the  direction  in  which  the  child  had  fallen. 
It  struck  something,  and  instantly  the  most  grotesque  im- 
itation of  a  man  became  visible.  You  see,  this  Fairy-land 
is  full  of  oddities  and  all  sorts  of  incredibly  ridiculous 
things,  which  a  man  is  compelled  to  meet  and  treat  as  real 
existences,  although  all  the  time  he  feels  foolish  for  doing 
so.  This  being,  if  being  it  could  be  called,  was  like  a 
block  of  wood  roughly  hewn  into  the  mere  outlines  of  a 
man ;  and  hardly  so,  for  it  had  but  head,  body,  legs,  and 
arms,  —  the  head  without  a  face,  and  the  limbs  utterly 
formless.  I  had  hewn  off  one  of  its  legs,  but  the  two  por- 
tions moved  on  as  best  they  could,  quite  independent  of 
each  other ;  so  that  I  had  done  no  good.  I  ran  after  it, 
and  clove  it  in  twain  from  the  head  downwards ;  but  it 
could  not  be  convinced  that  its  vocation  was  not  to  walk 
over  people ;  for,  as  soon  as  the  little  girl  began  her  beg- 
ging again,  all  three  parts  came  bustling  up ;  and,  if  I  had 
not  interposed  my  weight  between  her  and  them,  she  would 
have  been  trampled  again  under  them.  I  saw  that  some- 
thing else  must  be  done.  If  the  wood  was  full  of  the 
creatures,  it  would  be  an  endless  work  to  chop  them  so 
small  that  they  could  do  no  injury ;  and  then,  beside,  the 
parts  would  be  so  numerous,  that  the  butterflies  would  be 
in  danger  from  the  drift  of  flying  chips.  I  served  this  one, 
so,  however  ;  and  then  told  the  girl  to  beg  again,  and  point 
but  the  direction  in  which  one  was  coming.     I  was  glad  to 


268  PHANTASTES : 

find,  however,  that  I  could  now  see  him  myself,  and  won- 
dered how  they  could  have  been  invisible  before.  I  would 
not  allow  him  to  walk  over  the  child ;  but  while  I  kept  him 
off,  and  she  began  begging  again,  another  appeared  ;  and  it 
was  all  I  could  do,  from  the  weight  of  my  armor,  to  pro- 
tect her  from  the  stupid,  persevering  efforts  of  the  two. 
But  suddenly  the  right  plan  occurred  to  me.  I  tripped  one 
of  them  up,  and,  taking  him  by  the  legs,  set  him  up  on  his 
head,  with  his  heels  against  a  tree.  I  was  delighted  to 
find  he  could  not  move.  Meantime  the  poor  child  was 
walked  over  by  the  other,  but  it  was  for  the  last  time. 
Whenever  one  appeared,  I  followed  the  same  plan,  — 
tripped  him  up  and  set  him  on  his  head ;  and  so  the  little 
beggar  was  able  to  gather  her  wings  without  any  trouble, 
which  occupation  she  continued  for  several  hours  in  my 
company." 

"  What  became  of  her?  "  I  asked. 

"I  took  her  home  with  me  to  my  castle,  and  she  told 
me  all  her  story  ;  but  it  seemed  to  me,  all  the  time,  as  if  I 
were  hearing  a  child  talk  in  its  sleep.  I  could  not  arrange 
her  story  in  my  mind  at  all,  although  it  seemed  to  leave 
hers  in  some  certain  order  of  its  own.     My  wife  —  " 

Here  the  knight  checked  himself,  and  said  no  more. 
Neither  did  I  urge  the  conversation  farther. 

Thus  we  journeyed  for  several  days,  resting  at  night  in 
such  shelter  as  we  could  get,  and  when  no  better  was  to 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  269 

be  had,  lying  in  the  forest  under  some  tree,  on  a  couch  of 
old  leaves. . 

I  loved  the  knight  more  and  more.  I  believe  never 
squire  served  his  master  with  more  care  and  joyfulness  than 
I.  I  tended  his  horse  ;  I  cleaned  his  armor ;  my  skill  in 
the  craft  enabled  me  to  repair  it  when  necessary ;  I  watched 
his  needs ;  and  was  well  repaid  for  all,  by  the  love  itself 
which  I  bore  him. 

"This,"  I  said  to  myself,  "is  a  true  man.  I  will 
serve  him,  and  give  him  all  worship,  seeing  in  him  the  em- 
bodiment of  what  I  would  fain  become.  If  I  cannot  bo 
noble  myself,  -I  will  yet  be  servant  to  his  nobleness."  He, 
in  return,  soon  showed  me  such  signs  of  friendship  and 
respect  as  made  my  heart  glad ;  and  I  felt  that,  after  all, 
mine  would  be  no  lost  life,  if  I  might  wait  on  him  to  the 
world's  end,  although  no  smile  but  his  should  greet  me,  and 
no  one  but  him  should  say,  "  Well  done  !  he  was  a  good 
servant !  "  at  last.  But  I  burned  to  do  something  more 
for  him  than  the  ordinary  routine  of  a  squire's  duty  per- 
mitted. 

One  afternoon  we  began  to  observe  an  appearance  of 
roads  in  the  wood.  Branches  had  been  cut  down,  and 
openings  made,  where  footsteps  had  worn  no  path  below. 
These  indications  increased  as  we  passed  on  ;  till,  at  length, 
we  came  into  a  long,  narrow  avenue,  formed  by  felling  the 
trees  in  its  line,  as  the  remaining  roots  evidenced.  At 
some  little  distance,  on  both  hands,  we  observed  signs  of 


270  PHANTASTES  : 

similar  avenues,  which  appeared  to  converge  with  ours 
towards  one  spot.  Along  these  we  indistinctly  .saw  several 
forms  moving,  which  seemed,  with  ourselves,  to  approach 
the  common  centre.  Our  path  brought  us,  at  last,  up  to 
a  wall  of  yew-trees,  growing  close  together,  and  intertwin- 
ing their  branches  so  that  nothing  could  be  seen  beyond 
it.  An  opening  was  cut  in  it  like  a  door,  and  all  the  wall 
was  trimmed  smooth  and  perpendicular.  The  knight  dis- 
mounted, and  waited  till  I  had  provided  for  his  horse's 
comfort ;  upon  which  we  entered  the  place  together. 

It  was  a  great  space,  bare  of  trees,  and  enclosed  by  four 
walls  of  yew,  similar  to  that  through  which  we  had  entered. 
These  trees  grew  to  a  very  great  height,  and  did  not  divide 
from  each  other  till  close  to  the  top,  where  their  summits 
formed  a  row  of  conical  battlements  all  around  the  walls. 
The  space  contained  was  a  parallelogram  of  great  length. 
Along  each  of  the  two  longer  sides  of  the  interior  were 
ranged  three  ranks  of  men,  in  white  robes,  standing  silent 
and  solemn,  each  with  a  sword  by  his  side,  although  the 
rest  of  his  costume  and  bearing  was  more  priestly  than 
soldierly.  For  some  distance  inwards  the  space  between 
these  opposite  rows  was  filled  with  a  company  of  men  and 
women  and  children,  in  holiday  attire.  The  looks  of  all 
were  directed  inwards,  towards  the  further  end.  Far  be- 
yond the  crowd,  in  a  long  avenue,  seeming  to  narrow  in 
the  distance,  went  the  Ions;  rows  of  the  wliite-robed  men. 
On  what   the   attention  of  the    multitude   was   fixed,  we 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  271 

could  not  tell,  for  the  sun  had  set  before  we  arrived,  and 
it  was  growing  dark  within.  It  grew  darker  and  darker. 
The  multitude  waited  in  silence.  The  stars  began  to  shine 
down  into  the  enclosure,  and  they  grew  brighter  and 
larger  every  moment.  A  wind  arose,  and  swayed  the 
pinnacles  of  the  tree-tops,  and  made  a  strange  sound,  half 
like  music,  half  like  moaning,  through  the  close  branches 
and  leaves  of  the  tree-walls.  A  young  girl  who  stood  be- 
side me,  clothed  in  the  same  dress  as  the  priests,  bowed  her 
head,  and  grew  pale  with  awe. 

The  knight  whispered  to  me,  "  How  solemn  it  is  ! 
Surely  they  wait  to  hear  the  voice  of  a  prophet.  There  is 
something  good  near  !  " 

But  I,  though  somewhat  shaken  by  the  feeling  expressed 
by  my  master,  yet  had  an  unaccountable  conviction  that 
here  was  something  bad.  So  I  resolved  to  be  keenly  on  the 
watch   for   what  should  follow. 

Suddenly  a  great  star,  like  a  sun,  appeared  high  in  the 
air  over  the  temple,  illuminating  it  throughout ;  and  a  great 
song  arose  from  the  men  in  white,  which  went  rolling  round 
and  round  the  building,  now  receding  to  the  end,  and  now 
approaching,  down  the  other  side,  the  place  where  we  stood. 
For  some  of  the  singers  were  regularly  ceasing,  and  the 
next  to  them  as  regularly  taking  up  the  song ;  so  that  it 
crept  onwards,  with  gradations  produced  by  changes  Avhich 
could  not  themselves  be  detected,  for  only  a  few  of  those 
who  were  singing  ceased  at  the  same  moment.     The  song 


272  PHANTASIES : 

paused  ;  and  I  saw  a  company  of  six  of  the  white-robed  men 
•walk  up  the  centre  of  the  human  avenue,  surrounding  a 
youth  gorgeously  attired  beneath  his  robe  of  white,  and 
wearing  a  chaplet  of  flowers  on  his  head.  I  followed  them 
closely,  with  my  keenest  observation ;  and,  by  accompany- 
ing their  slow  progress  with  my  eyes,  I  was  able  to  per- 
ceive more  clearly  what  took  place  when  they  arrived  at 
the  other  end.  I  knew  that  my  sight  was  so  much  more 
keen  than  that  of  most  people,  that  I  had  good  reason  to 
suppose  I  should  see  more  than  the  rest  could  at  such  a 
distance.  At  the  farther  end,  a  throne  stood  upon  a  plat- 
form, high  above  the  heads  of  the  surrounding  priests.  To 
this  platform  I  saw  the  company  begin  to  ascend,  apparently 
by  an  inclined  plane  of  gentle  slope.  The  throne  itself 
was  elevated  again,  on  a  kind  of  square  pedestal,  to  the  top 
of  which  led  a  flight  of  steps.  On  the  throne  sat  a  majestic- 
looking  figure,  whose  posture  seemed  to  indicate  a  mixture 
of  pride  and  benignity  as  he  looked  down  on  the  multitude 
below.  The  company  ascended  to  the  foot  of  the  throne, 
where  they  all  kneeled  for -some  minutes;  then  they  rose 
and  passed  round  to  the  side  of  the  pedestal  upon  which  the 
throne  stood.  Here  they  crowded  close  behind  the  youth, 
putting  him  in  the  foremost  place  ;  and  one  of  them  opened 
a  door  in  the  pedestal,  for  the  youth  to  enter.  I  was  sure 
I  saw  him  shrink  back,  and  those  crowding  behind  push 
him  in.  Then  again  arose  a  burst  of  song  from  the  multi- 
tude  in  white,  which  lasted  some  time.     When  it  ceased,  a 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE.  273 

new  companj  of  seven  commenced  its  march  up  the  centre. 
As  they  advanced,  I  looked  up  at  my  master ;  his  noble 
countenance  was  full  of  reverence  and  awe.  Incapable  of 
evil  himself,  he  could  scarcely  suspect  it  in  another,  much 
less  in  a  multitude  such  as  this,  and  surrounded  with  such 
appearances  of  solemnity.  I  was  certain  it  was  the 
really  grand  accompaniments  that  overcame  him ;  that  the 
stars  overhead,  the  dark,  towering  tops  of  the  yew-trees, 
and  the  wind  that,  like  an  unseen  spirit,  sighed  through 
their  branches,  bowed  his  spirit  to  the  belief  that  in  all 
these  ceremonies  lay  some  great  mystical  meaning,  which, 
his  humility  told  him,  his  ignorance  prevented  him  from 
understanding. 

More  convinced  than  before  that  there  was  evil  here,  I 
could  not  endure  that  my  master  should  be  deceived;  that 
one  like  him,  so  pure  and  noble,  should  respect  what,  if 
my  suspicions  were  true,  was  worse  than  the  ordinary  de- 
ceptions of  priestcraft.  I  could  not  tell  how  far  he  migh  t 
be  led  to  countenance  and  otherwise  support  their  doings, 
before  he  should  find  cause  to  repent  bitterly  of  his  error. 
I  watched  the  new  procession  yet  more  keenly,  if  possible, 
than  the  former.  This  time  the  central  figure  was  a  girl, 
and  at  the  close  I  observed,  yet  more  indubitably,  the 
shrinking  back,  and  the  crowding  push.  What  happened 
to  the  victims  I  never  learned;  but  I  had  learned  enough, 
and  I  could  bear  it  no  longer.  I  stooped  and  whispered  to 
the  young  girl  who  stood  by  me,  to  lend  me  her  white  gar- 


274  PHANTASIES: 

merit.  I  wanted  it,  that  I  might  not  be  entirely  out  of 
keeping  with  the  solemnity,  but  might  have  at  least  this 
help  to  passing  unquestioned.  She  looked  up,  half  amused 
and  half  bewildered,  as  if  doubting  whether  I  was  in  earnest 
or  not.  But  in  her  perplexity  she  permitted  me  to  un- 
fasten it  and  slip  it  down  from  her  shoulders.  I  easily  got 
possession  of  it;  and,  sinking  down  on  my  knees  in  the 
crowd,  I  rose  apparently  in  the  habit  of  one  of  the  wor- 
shippers. 

Giving  my  battle-axe  to  the  girl,  to  hold  in  pledge  for 
the  return  of  her  stole,  —  for  I  wished  to  test  the  matter  un- 
armed, and,  if  it  was  a  man  that  sat  upon  the  throne,  to 
attack  him  with  hands  bare,  as  I  supposed  his  must  be,  —  I 
made  my  way  through  the  crowd  to  the  front,  while  the 
singing  yet  continued,  desirous  of  reaching  the  platform 
while  it  was  unoccupied  by  any  of  the  priests.  I  was  per- 
mitted to  walk  up  the  long  avenue  of  white  robes  unmo- 
lested, though  I  saw  questioning  looks  in  many  of  the  faces 
as  I  passed.  I  presume  my  coolness  aided  my  passage ; 
for  I  felt  quite  mdifferent  as  to  my  own  fate  ; '  not  feeling, 
after  the  late  events  of  my  history,  that  I  was  at  all  worth 
taking  care  of,  and  enjoying,  perhaps,  something  of  an 
evil  satisfaction  in  the  revenge  I  was  thus  taking  upon  the 
self  which  had  fooled  me  so  long.  When  I  arrived  on  the 
platform  the  song  had  just  ceased,  and  I  felt  as  if  all  were 
looking  towards  me.  But,  instead  of  kneeling  at  its  foot,  I 
walked  right  up  the  stairs  to  the  throne,  laid  hold  of  a 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  275 

great  wooden  image  that  seemed  to  sit  upon  it,  and  tried 
to  hurl  it  from  its  seat.  In  this  I  failed  at  first,  for  I 
found  it  firmly  fixed.  But  in  dread  lest,  the  first  shock  of 
amazement  passing  away,  the  guards  would  rush  upon  me 
before  I  had  efiected  my  purpose.  I  strained  with  all  my 
might ;  and,  with  a  noise  as  of  the  cracking,  and  breaking, 
and  tearing  of  rotten  wood,  something  gave  way.  and  I 
hurled  the  image  down  the  steps.  Its  displacement  re- 
vealed a  great  hole  in  the  throne,  like  the  hollow  of  a 
decayed  tree,  going  down  apparently  a  great  way.  But  T 
had  no  time  to  examine  it,  for,  as  I  looked  into  it,  up  out 
of  it  rushed  a  great  brute,  like  a  wolf,  but  twice  the  size, 
and  tumbled  me  headlong  with  itself  down  the  steps  of  the 
throne.  As  we  fell,  however,  I  caught  it  by  the  throat, 
and  the  moment  we  reached  the  platform  a  struggle  com- 
menced, in  which  I  soon  got  uppermost,  with  my  hand  upon 
its  throat,  and  knee  upon  its  heart.  But  now  arose  a  wild 
cry  of  wrath  and  revenge  and  rescue.  A  universal  hiss 
of  steel,  as  every  sword  was  swept  from  its  scabbard,  seemed 
to  tear  the  very  air  in  shreds.  I  heard  the  rush  of  hun- 
dreds towards  the  platform  on  which  I  knelt.  I  only 
tightened  my  grasp  of  the  brute's  throat.  His  eyes  were 
already  starting  from  his  head,  and  his  tongue  was  hanging 
out.  My  anxious  hope  was,  that,  even  after  they  had 
killed  me,  they  would  be  unable  to  undo  my  gripe  of  his 
throat  before  the  monster  was  past  breathing.     I  therefore 


276  PHANTASTES : 

threw  all  my  will  and  force  and  purpose  into  the  grasping 
hand.  I  remember  no  blow.  A  faintness  came  over  me, 
and  my  consciousness  departed. 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  277 


XXIY. 

We  are  ne'er  like  angels  till  our  p     sions  die. 

Deckar. 

This  wretched  Inn,  -where  we  scarce  stay  to  bait, 

We  call  our  Dwelling-Place  : 
We  call  one  Step  a  Race : 
But  angels  in  their  full  enlightened  state, 
Angels,  who  Live,  and  know  what  'tis  to  Be, 
Who  all  the  nonsense  of  our  language  see, 

Who  speak  things,  and  our  words,  their  ill-drawn  pictures,  scorn, 
When  we,  by  a  foolish  figure,  say, 
Behold  an  old  man  dead !  then  they 
Speak  properly,  and  cry.  Behold  a  man-child  horn  ! 

Cowley. 

I  WAS  dead,  and  right  content.  I  lay  in  my  coffin,  with 
my  hands  folded  in  peace.  The  knight  and  the  lady  I 
loved  wept  over  me.     Her  tears  fell  on  my  face. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  the  knio;ht,  "  I  rushed  amono;st  them  like  a 
madman.  I  hewed  them  down  like  brushwood.  Their 
swords  battered  on  me  like  hail,  but  hurt  me  not.  I  cut  a 
lane  through  to  my  friend.  He  was  dead.  But  he  had 
throttled  the  monster,  and  I  had  to  cut  the  handful  out  of 
its  throat  before  I  could  disengage  and  carry  ofi"  his  body. 
They  dared  not  molest  me  as  I  brought  him  back." 

"  He  has  died  well,"  said  the  lady. 


278  PHANTASIES  : 

My  spirit  rejoiced.  They  left  me  to  my  repose.  I  felt 
as  if  a  coo]  hand  had  been  laid  upon  my  heart,  and  had 
stilled  it.  My  soul  was  like  a  summer  evening,  after  a 
heavy  fall  of  rain,  when  the  drops  are  yet  glistening  on  the 
trees  in  the  last  rays  of  the  down-going  sun,  and  the  wind 
of  the  twilight  has  begun  to  blow.  The  hot  fever  of  life 
had  gone  by,  and  I  breathed  the  clear  mountain-air  of  the 
land  of  Death.  I  had  never  dreamed  of  such  blessedness. 
It  was  not  that  I  had  in  any  way  ceased  to  be  what  I  had 
been.  The  very  fact  that  anything  can  die  implies  the 
existence  of  something  that  cannot  die,  which  must  either 
take  to  itself  another  form,  as  when  the  seed  that  is  sown 
dies  and  arises  again,  or,  in  conscious  existence,  may, 
perhaps,  continue  to  lead  a  purely  spiritual  life.  If  my 
passions  were  dead,  the  souls  of  the  passions,  those  essential 
mysteries  of  the  spirit  which  had  embodied  themselves  in  the 
passions,  and  had  given  to  them  all  their  glory  and  wonder- 
ment, yet  lived,  yet  glowed,  with  a  pure,  undying  fire. 
They  rose  above  their  vanishing  earthly  garments,  and  dis- 
closed themselves  angels  of  light.  But,  oh,  how  beautiful 
beyond  the  old  form  !  I  lay  thus  for  a  time,  and  lived  as 
it  were  an  unradiating  existence ;  my  soul  a  motionless  lake, 
that  received  all  things  and  gave  nothing  back ;  satisfied 
in  still  contemplation  and  spiritual  consciousness. 

Ere  long  they  bore  me  to  my  grave.  Never  tired  child 
lay  down  in  his  white  bed,  and  heard  the  sound  of  his  play- 
things being  laid  aside  for  the  night,  with  a  more  luxurious 


A   FAERIE   ROMANCE.  279 

satisfaction  of  repose  than  I  knew  when  I  felt  the  coffin 
settle  on  the  firm  earth,  and  heard  the  sound  of  the  falling 
mould  upon  its  lid.  It  has  not  the  same  hollow  rattle 
within  the  coffin  that  it  sends  up  to  the  edge  of  the  grave. 
Thej  buried  me  in  no  graveyard.  They  loved  me  too 
much  for  that,  I  thank  them;  but  they  laid  me  in  the 
grounds  of  their  own  castle,  amid  many  trees ;  where,  as  it 
was  spring-time,  were  growing  primroses,  and  blue-bells, 
and  all  the  families  of  the  woods. 

Now  that  I  lay  in  her  bosom,  the  whole  earth,  and  each 
of  her  many  births,  was  as  a  body  to  me,  at  my  will.  I 
seemed  to  feel  the  great  heart  of  the  mother  beating  into 
mine,  and  feeding  me  with  her  own  life,  her  own  essential 
being  and  nature.  I  heard  the  footsteps  of  my  friends 
above,  and  they  sent  a  thrill  through  my  heart,  I  knew 
that  the  helpers  had  gone,  and  that  the  knight  and  the  lady 
remained,  and  spoke  low,  gentle,  tearful  words  of  him  who 
lay  beneath  the  yet  wounded  sod.  I  rose  into  a  single 
large  primrose  that  grew  by  the  edge  of  the  grave,  and  from 
the  window  of  its  humble,  trusting  face  looked  full  in  the 
countenance  of  the  lady.  I  felt  that  I  could  manifest  my- 
self in  the  primrose ;  that  it  said  a  part  of  what  I  wanted 
to  say ;  just  as  in  the  old  time  I  had  used  to  betake  my- 
self to  a  song  for  the  same  end.  The  flower  caught  her 
eye.  She  stooped  and  plucked  it,  saying,  "  0  you 
beautiful  creature !  "  and,  lightly  kissing  it,  put  ib  in  her 


280  PHANTASTES: 

bosom.     It  was  the  first  kiss  she  had  ever  given  me.     But 
the  flower  soon  began  to  wither,  and  I  forsook  it. 

It  was  evening.  The  sun  was  below  the  horizon ;  but 
his  rosy  beams  yet  illuminated  a  feathery  cloud  that  floated 
high  above  the  world.  I  arose.  I  reached  the  cloud ;  and, 
throwing  myself  upon  it,  floated  with  it  in  sight  of  the  sink- 
ing sun.  He  sank,  and  the  cloud  grew  gray;  but  the 
grayness  touched  not  my  heart.  It  carried  its  rose-hue 
within  ;  for  now  I  could  love  without  needing  to  be  loved 
again.  The  moon  came  gliding  up  with  all  the  past  in  her 
wan  face.  She  changed  my  couch  into  a  ghostly  pallor, 
and  threw  all  the  earth  below  as  to  the  bottom  of  a  pale  sea 
of  dreams.  But  she  could  not  make  me  sad.  I  knew  now, 
that  it  is  by  loving,  and  not  by  being  loved,  that  one  can 
come  nearest  the  soul  of  another ;  yea,  that,  where  two 
love,  it  is  the  loving  of  each  other,  and  not  the  being  be- 
loved by  each  other,  that  originates  and  perfects  and  assures 
their  blessedness.  I  knew  that  love  gives  to  him  that 
loveth,  power  over  any  soul  beloved,  even  if  that  soul  know 
him  not,  bringing  him  inwardly  close  to  that  spirit,  -^  a 
power  that  cannot  be  but  for  good ;  for,  in  proportion  as 
selfishness  intrudes,  the  love  ceases,  and  the  power  which 
springs  therefrom  dies.  Yet  all  love  will,  one  day,  meet 
with  its  return.  All  true  love  will,  one  day,  behold  its  own 
image  in  the  eyes  of  the  beloved,  and  be  humbly  glad. 
This  is  possible  in  the  realms  of  lofty  Death.     "Ah,  my 


A  FAERIE   ROMANCE.  281 

friends,"  thought  I,  "  how  I  will  tend  you,  and  wait  upon 
you,  and  haunt  you  with  my  love  !  " 

My  floating  chariot  bore  me  over  a  great  city.  Its  faint, 
dull  sound  steamed  up  into  the  air,  —  a  sound  —  how  com- 
posed ?  "How  many  hopeless  cries,"  thought  I,  "and 
how  many  mad  shouts  go  to  make  up  the  tumult,  here  so 
faint  where  I  float  in  eternal  peace,  knowing  that  they  will 
one  day  be  stilled  in  the  surrounding  calm,  and  that 
despair  dies  into  infinite  hope,  and  that  the  seeming  im- 
possible there  is  the  law  here !  But,  0  pale-faced 
women,  and  gloomy-browed  men,  and  forgotten  children, 
how  I  will  wait  on  you,  and,  putting  my  arms  about  you 
in  the  dark,  think  hope  unto  your  hearts,  when  you  fancy 
no  one  is  near !  Soon  as  my  senses  have  all  come  back, 
and  have  grown  acoustomed  to  this  new  blessed  life,  I  will 
be  among  you,  with  the  love  that  healeth." 

With  this,  a  pang  and  a  terrible  shudder  went  through 
me ;  a  writhing  as  of  death  convulsed  me,  and  I  became 
once  again  conscious  of  a  more  limited,  even  a  bodily  and 
earthly  life. 


282  PHANTASIES : 


XXY. 

Unser  Leben  ist  kein  Traum,  aber  es  soil  und  wird  vielleicht  einer 
werden.  Novalis. 

Our  life  is  no  dream ;   but  it  ought  to  become  one,  and  perhaps 
wiU. 


And  on  the  ground,  which  is  my  modres  gate, 
I  knocke  with  my  staf,  erlich  and  late. 
And  say  to  hire,  Leve  mother,  let  me  in. 

Chaucee.  —  The  Pardoneres  Tale. 

Sinking  from  such  a  state  of  ideal  bliss  into  the  world 
of  shadows  which  again  closed  around  and  enfolded  me,  my 
first  dread  was,  not  unnaturally,  that  my  own  shadow  had 
found  me  again,  and  that  my  torture  had  commenced  anew. 
It  was  a  sad  revulsion  of  feeling.  This,  indeed,  seemed  to 
correspond  to  what  we  think  death  is,  before  we  die.  Yet  I 
felt  within  me  a  power  of  calm  endurance  to  which  I  had 
hitherto  been  a  stranger.  For,  in  truth,  that  I  should  be 
able  if  only  to  think  such  things  as  I  had  been  thinking, 
was  an  unspeakable  delight.  An  hour  of  such  peace  made 
the  turmoil  of  a  lifetime  worth  strivingr  through. 

I  found  myself  lying  in  the  open  air,  in  the  early  morn- 
ing, before  sunrise.     Over  me  rose  the  summer  heaven, 


A   FAERIE    ROMANCE,  283 

expectant  of  the  sun.  The  clouds  already  saw  him  coming 
from  aiar,  and  soon  every  dewdrop  would  rejoice  in  his 
individual  presence  within  it.  I  lay  motionless  for  a  few 
minutes,  and  then  slowly  rose  and  looked  about  me.  I 
was  on  the  summit  of  a  little  hill ;  a  valley  lay  beneath, 
and  a  range  of  mountains  closed  up  the  view  upon  that 
side.  But,  to  my  horror,  across  the  valley,  and  up  the 
height  of  the  opposing  mountains,  stretched,  from  my  very 
feet,  a  hugely  expanding  shade.  There  it  lay,  long  and 
large,  dark  and  mighty.  I  turned  away  with  a  sick  de- 
spair ;  when,  lo  !  I  beheld  the  sun  just  lifting  his  head  above 
the  eastern  hill,  and  the  shadow  that  fell  from  me  lay 
only  where  his  beams  fell  not.  I  danced  for  joy.  It  was 
only  the  natural  shadow  that  goes  with  every  man  who 
walks  in  the  sun.  As  he  arose,  higher  and  higher,  the 
shadow-head  sank  down  the  side  of  the  opposite  hill,  and 
crept  in  across  the  valley  towards  my  feet. 

Now  that  I  was  so  joyously  delivered  from  this  fear,  I 
saw  and  recognized  the  country  around  me.  In  the  valley 
below  lay  my  own  castle,  and  the  haunts  of  my  childhood 
were  all  about  me.  I  hastened  home.  My  sisters  re- 
ceived me  with  unspeakable  joy ;  but  I  suppose  they 
observed  some  change  in  me,  for  a  kind  of  respect,  with  a 
slight  touch  of  awe  in  it,  mingled  with  their  joy,  and  made 
me  ashamed.  They  had  been  in  great  distress  about  me. 
On  the  morning  of  my  disappearance,  they  had  found  the 
floor  of  my  room  flooded ;  and,  all  that  day,  a  wondrous 


284  PHANTASTES : 

and  nearly  impervious  mist  had  hung  alout  the  castle  and 
grounds.  I  had  been  gone,  they  told  me,  twentj-one 
days.  To  me  it  seemed  twenty-one  years.  Nor  could 
I  yet  feel  quite  secure  in  my  new  experiences.  When,  at 
night,  I  lay  down  once  more  in  my  own  bed,  I  did  not 
feel  at  all  sure  that  when  I  awoke  I  should  not  find  my- 
self in  some  mysterious  region  of  Fairy-land.  My  dreams 
were  incessant  and  perturbed ;  but  when  I  did  awake,  I 
saw  clearly  that  I  was  in  my  own  home. 

My  mind  soon  grew  calm ;  and  I  began  the  duties  of  my 
new  position,  somewhat  instructed,  I  hoped,  by  the  adven- 
tures that  had  befallen  me  in  Fairy-land.  Could  I  trans- 
late the  experience  of  my  travels  there,  into  common  life  ? 
This  was  the  question.  Or  must  I  live  it  all  over  again, 
and  learn  it  all  over  again,  in  the  other  forms  that  belong 
to  the  world  of  men,  whose  experience  yet  runs  parallel  to 
that  of  Fairy-land  ?  These  questions  I  cannot  yet  answer. 
But  I  fear. 

Even  yet,  I  find  myself  looking  round  sometimes  with 
anxiety,  to  see  whether  my  shadow  falls  right  away  from 
the  sun  or  no.  I  have  never  yet  discovered  any  inclina- 
tion to  either  side.  And  if  I  am  not  unfrequently  sad,  I 
yet  cast  no  more  of  a  shade  on  the  earth  than  most  men 
who  have  lived  in  it  as  long  as  I.  I  have  a  strange  feel- 
ing, sometimes,  that  I  am  a  ghost,  sent  into  the  world  to 
minister  to  my  fellow-men,  or,  rather,  to  repair  the  wrongs 
I  have  already  done.     May  the  world  be  brighter  for  me. 


A    FAERIE    ROMANCE.  285 

at  least  in  those  portions  of  it  where  my  darkness  falls 
not. 

Thus  I,  who  set  out  to  find  my  Ideal,  came  back  rejoic- 
ing that  I  had  lost  my  Shadow. 

When  the  thought  of  the  blessedness  I  experienced, 
after  my  death  in  Fairy-land,  is  too  high  for  me  to  lay 
hold  upon  it  and  hope  in  it,  I  often  think  of  the  wise 
woman  in  the  cottage,  and  of  her  solemn  assurance  that  she 
knew  something  too  good  to  be  told.  When  I  am  oppressed 
by  any  sorrow  or  real  perplexity,  I  often  feel  as  if  I  had 
only  left  her  cottage  for  a  time,  and  would  soon  return  out 
of  the  vision  into  it  again.  Sometimes,  on  such  occasions, 
I  find  myself,  unconsciously  almost,  looking  about  for  the 
mystic  mark  of  red,  with  the  vague  hope  of  entering  her 
door,  and  being  comforted  by  her  wise  tenderness.  I  then 
console  myself  by  saying,  "  I  have  come  through  the  door 
of  Dismay  ;  and  the  way  bdck  from  the  world  into  which 
that  has  led  me  is  through  my  tomb.  Upon  that  the  red 
sign  lies,  and  I  shall  find  it  one  day,  and  be  glad." 

I  will  end  my  story  with  the  relation  of  an  incident 
which  befell  me  a  few  days  ago.  I  had  been  with  my 
reapers,  and,  when  they  ceased  their  work  at  noon,  I 
had  lain  down  under  the  shadow  of  a  great,  ancient  beech- 
tree,  that  stood  on  the  edge  of  the  field.  As  I  lay,  with 
my  eyes  closed,  I  began  to  listen  to  the  sound  of  the  leaves 
overhead.  At  first,  they  made  sweet,  inarticulate  music 
alone ;  but,  by  and  by,  the  sound  seemed  to  begin  to  take 


286  PHANTASTES. 

shape,  and  to  be  gradually  moulding  itself  into  words  ;  till, 
at  last,  I  seemed  able  to  distinguish  these,  half-dissolved  in 
a  little  ocean  of  circumfluent  tones  :  "  A  great  good  is  com- 
ing—  is  coming  —  is  coming  to  thee,  Anodos  ;  "  and  so 
over  and  over  again.  I  fancied  that  the  sound  reminded 
me  of  the  voice  of  the  ancient  woman  in  the  cottage  that 
was  four-square.  I  opened  my  eyes,  and,  for  a  moment, 
almost  believed  that  I  saw  her  face,  with  its  many  wrinkles 
and  its  young  eyes,  looking  at  me  from  between  two  hoary 
branches  of  the  beech  overhead.  But  when  I  looked  more 
keenly,  I  saw  only  twigs  and  leaves,  and  the  infinite  sky, 
in  tiny  spots,  gazing  through  between.  Yet  I  know  that 
good  is  coming  to  me  —  that  good  is  always  coming ; 
though  few  have  at  all  times  the  simplicity  and  the  courage 
to  believe  it.  What  we  call  evil  is  the  only  and  best 
shape,  which,  for  the  person  and  his  condition  at  the  time, 
could  be  assumed  by  the  best  good.     And  so,  Farewell ! 

THE    END. 


HITHERTO, 

A.     STOK-Y     OF    '5rESTEIir>  AYS 

By   Mrs.  A.  D.  T.  WHITNEY. 


"  Never  could  Idyll  boast  a  nobler  rustic  lover  than  Rich- 
ard Hathaway ;  and  never  has  a  scene  of  rustic  love  been 
described  with  more  simple  grace  and  quiet  humor  than  the 
episode  of  Annie's  disgrace  and  the  '  worrying '  of  her  hideous 
bonnet.  For  anything  equally  good,  one  is  thrown  back  upon 
the  recollections  of  Maggie  in  '  The  Mill  on  the  Floss.' " 
— Illustrated  London  News. 

"  Our  readers  may  order  this  book  from  the  library  with- 
out fear.  There  are  touches  of  nature  and  family  scenes 
which  will  find  a  ready  response  in  the  female  heart ;  and 
there  is  nothing  that  can  offend  the  modesty  of  the  most 
fastidious  critic.  " — London  Athenceum. 

"Had  we   sufficient   space,  we  might  go  on  multiplying 
extracts  of  unmistakable  beauty  and   originality ;  but  our 
readers  must,  if  possible,  procure  the  volumes  for  themselves 
and  so  form  their  own  opinion,  which,  we  trust  and  believe 
will  entirely  agree  with  ours. " — London  Literary  World. 

"  The  scenes  and  people  are  American,  of  the  New  Eng- 
land type,  and  in  many  respects  they  will  remind  those 
readers  who  are  acquainted  with  them  of  Miss  Wethereil's 
works,  ' The  Wide,  Wide  World,'  &c.,  only  there  is  more 
sti'ength  and  character  about  the  present  story,  though  it 
abounds  with  philosophizing,  and  only  deals  with  persons 
and  acts  of  unimpeachable  morality.  " — London  Observer. 

"How  this  is  brought  about  we  must  leave  our  readers 
to  ascertain  from  the  book  itself,  which  is  far  too  well  worth 
reading  for  us  to  wish  to  save  any  one  the  task  of  studying 
it.  Especially  is  the  character  of  Richard  Hathaway  an 
exquisite  conception — excellent  in  its  weakness  and  in  its 
strength,  excellent  in  its  shy  self-depreciation,  and  yet  in  its 
occasional  glimpses  of  its  own  i-eal  worth  and  deservingness. 
We  cannot  think  oiwselves  wrong  in  rating  it  as  one  of  the 
most  faithfully-drawn  characters  in  modern  fiction. " — 
London  Literary  Churchman. 

"We  can  hardly  recommend  the  book  to  mere  novel- 
readers  ;  but  to  all  who  can  appreciate  a  book  of  high  pur- 
pose, of  real  power,  of  high  interest — for,  though  there  is 
nothing  sensational,  the  story  has  in  it  a  wonderful  amou«it 
of  life  and  variety — it  will  prove  a  most  inviting  and  useful 
companion. " — London  Nonconformi-^- 


PATIEICE  STEONG'S  OTJTIIGS. 

By  Mks.  a.  D.  T.  Whitkey, 

Autlior  of  "Faitl  Qartiiey's  Girlliood,'  "Tke  Gaywortliys;'  etc..  etc. 

One  handsome  12mo,  cloth.    Price,  $1.50. 


"PATIENCE   STRONG'S   OUTINGS" 

Is  a  peculiar  and  a  rare  book.  The  beautiful  sympathy  and 
intuition  which  shone  in  her  former  publications  do  not  fail 
her  in  this.  The  ideas  are  of  a  deep  significance,  and  are 
originally  expressed.  "We  do  not  not  remember  any  work 
similar  to  it  in  style.  There  is  an  incoherence,  a  disjointed- 
ness  of  phrase,  which  expresses  far  more  than  smoothness 
could.  She  writes  as  we  talk  when  deep  feeling  moves  us 
(reservedly,  with  averted  face,  as  it  were,  ti-eadiug  with  hesi- 
tation on  such  holy  ground),  groping  for  expression  which 
shall  be  forceful,  yet,  as  far  as  possible,  removed  from  senti- 
mentality or  cant.  She  goes  at  once  to  the  heart  of  life's 
deepest  experiences,  and,  with  a  simplicity  beautiful  as  it  is 
rare,  one's  heart  is  moved  with  the  noblest  impulses,  and 
softened  by  the  tender  pathos  of  her  thoughts.  We  need  not 
recommend  such  a  book.  The  author's  name  is  recommen- 
dation enough. 

Patience  Strong's  Outings  are  the  outgoings  of  a  woman 
whose  apparent  opportunities  are  mostly  for  staying  in. 

They  are  the  reachings  of  life  beyond  circumstance  ;  the 
book,  therefore,  is  more  of  suggestion  than  story. 

The  characterization  and  incidents  are  simply  sufficient  to 
connect  and  develope  the  thought. 

That  "  the  world  owes  everybody  a  living  *'  is  true  in  a 
better  and  higher  sense  than  that  in  which  the  saying  is 
ordinarily  apjDlied  ;  and  in  the  sketch  of  the  simple  doings 
and  happiness  at  Bearwood,  and  at  the  old  house  where 
Patience  Strong  bides  her  time  and  vindicates  her  christen 
ing,  one  sees  something  of  how  the  good  gift  that  life  i 
meant  to  be  for  every  soul,  comes  surely,  even  into  such 
a  quietness  ;  and  that  out  of  the  world  is  got  the  full  and 
best  world's  worth,  by  the  simplest  heart  that  looks  aud 
waits  for  it. 


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